Dual voltage solar panel

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for supplying power to at least one power consuming device using a solar panel. The solar panel includes at least two solar modules, an output connector, and a cable. The at least two solar modules are connected via a first electrical harness in a first combination of parallel and/or series to provide a first output voltage and via a second electrical harness in a second combination of parallel and/or series to provide a second output voltage. The at least one power consuming device is preferably a rechargeable battery.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims priority from the followingU.S. patents and patent applications: this application is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/975,116, filed May9, 2018, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.15/390,802, filed Dec. 27, 2016, a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/886,351, filed Feb. 1, 2018, and acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/836,299, filed Dec.8, 2017. U.S. application Ser. No. 15/390,802 is a continuation-in-partof U.S. application Ser. No. 14/156,094, filed Jan. 15, 2014. U.S.application Ser. No. 15/886,351 is a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/836,259, filed Dec. 8, 2017, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/720,270, filed Sep.29, 2017, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.14/520,821, filed Oct. 22, 2014. U.S. application Ser. No. 15/720,270 isalso a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/664,776,filed Jul. 31, 2017, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 15/470,382, filed Mar. 27, 2017, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/516,127, filed Oct.16, 2014. U.S. application Ser. No. 15/836,299 is a continuation-in-partof U.S. application Ser. No. 15/664,776, filed Jul. 31, 2017, and acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/720,270, filed Sep.29, 2017. U.S. application Ser. No. 15/664,776 is a continuation-in-partof U.S. application Ser. No. 15/470,382, filed Mar. 27, 2017, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/516,127, filed Oct.16, 2014. U.S. application Ser. No. 15/720,270 is a continuation-in-partof U.S. application Ser. No. 14/520,821, filed Oct. 22, 2014, and acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/664,776, filed Jul.31, 2017, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.15/470,382, filed Mar. 27, 2017, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/516,127, filed Oct. 16, 2014. Each of the U.S.Applications mentioned above is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to portable equipment formilitary, law enforcement, aviation, personal survival, hiking,sporting, recreation, hunting, water sports, and camping applicationsand, more particularly, to a dual voltage solar panel.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Portable power sources are used in, for example, military applications,law enforcement applications, aviation applications, wilderness andpersonal survival applications, hiking and camping applications,sporting and recreation applications, hunting applications, landsurveying and expedition applications, and disaster relief efforts. Forexample, portable battery packs exist for carrying in a backpack or forwearing on the body. These battery packs, however, can be heavy andinconvenient to access and connect to devices requiring electricalpower. Further, some applications require that the appearance of thebattery pack blend with the environment in which they are used. Currentbattery packs, however, might not offer flexibility of appearance or theconsumer is forced to buy one battery pack for one environment and adifferent battery pack for a different environment.

Additionally, portable battery packs are increasingly required toprovide power to a plurality of peripheral electronic devices. Theplurality of peripheral electronic devices is often connected to a powerdistribution and data hub, which supplies power to the plurality ofperipheral electronic devices and transfers data between the pluralityof peripheral electronic devices.

Prior art patent documents include the following:

U.S. Pat. No. 6,870,089 for system and apparatus for charging anelectronic device using solar energy by inventor Gray, filed Nov. 12,2002 and issued Mar. 22, 2005, is directed to a system and apparatus forcharging an electronic device using solar energy. In one form, aportable storage apparatus operable to charge a battery associated withan electronic device is disclosed. The apparatus includes a firstmaterial configured to provide a storage space for storing articles. Thestorage space includes an interior portion and an exterior portion. Theapparatus further includes a first flexible solar panel coupled to anexterior portion of the portable storage apparatus and integrated as apart of the first material. A second positional solar panel is alsoprovided and coupled to an interior portion of the portable storageapparatus. The apparatus further includes a universal 12-volt chargeport coupled to the first and second solar panels and operable toreceive a charge conductor for charging the electronic device.

U.S. Publication No. 20050140331 for solar bag with internal battery byinventor McQuade, filed Dec. 16, 2004 and published Jun. 30, 2005, isdirected to a bag, such as a backpack, comprising a battery internal tothe bag, a solar panel assembly affixed to the front exterior of thebag, and a universal connecting system wire. The solar panel assemblyincludes a solar panel. The solar panel charges the battery and alsoprovide power to an electronic device. The universal connecting systemwire connects the battery to the electronic device. The solar panelassembly protects the solar panel from damage. Wire routing channels areprovided for routing the universal connecting system wire from thebattery to the electronic device. The battery may be charged from anexternal source.

U.S. Publication No. 20050161079 for system and apparatus for chargingan electronic device using solar energy by inventor Gray, filed Mar. 21,2005 and published Jul. 28, 2005, is directed to a system and apparatusfor charging an electronic device using solar energy. In one form, anapparatus for charging an electronic device is provided. The apparatusincludes a first charge port operable to be connected to an energysource and an energy repository operable to store energy provided by theenergy source and to actively couple energy provided by the energysource to an electronic device. The apparatus further includes a secondcharge port operable to be connected to the electronic device to provideeither the stored energy or the active energy to the electronic device.

U.S. Publication No. 20060225781 for portable solar panel withattachment points by inventor Locher, filed Apr. 3, 2006 and publishedOct. 12, 2006, is directed to a portable solar tarp or a field portablebattery charger employing a solar tarp, utilizing flexible solar panels,solar fabric, or solar film. Around the perimeter of the solar tarp is aseries of attachment points for straps. The attachment points can begrommets, loops, buckles, hooks, buttons, or grab loops and lines, andto which connected various straps (webbing, line, cord, or cable). Thepresent invention further discloses a versatile, adjustable strappingsystem utilizing straps, buckles, and hooks. The present inventionstrapping system can attach almost any object to nearly any otherobject, such as back packs, luggage, vehicles, boats, permanent andportable shelters and buildings, mechanical equipment, and naturalobjects such as trees, rocks. The solar panel according to the presentinvention can have the photovoltaic cells wired individually, or in asingle line, because when parts of the photovoltaic system is subjectedto shade, or if due to space constraint, parts of the photovoltaicsystem is covered or folded away, the remaining photovoltaic cells withuseable energy are still able to function at peak capacity, since thecovered cells will not become an energy drain upon the remaining cells.Further, the photovoltaic system is able to harness all availableenergy, regardless of the required or desired voltage and/or amperagefor the system, thus converting any and all available energy into auseable current to either recharge batteries, or power a load.

U.S. Publication No. 20080210728 for solar backpack by inventor Bihn,filed Jul. 10, 2007 and published Sep. 4, 2008, is directed to a solarbackpack comprising: a backpack; a solar panel assembly attached to thetop half of the backpack, wherein the solar panel assembly protrudes atan angle between 5 and 45 degrees above the front portion of thebackpack to allow the user to walk and charge their batteries at thesame time; a battery contained in the backpack and in electricalcommunication with the solar panel; an interchangeable battery rechargecord for recharging external battery operated devices.

U.S. Publication No. 20080011799 for solar energy backpack combinationdevice by inventor Chang, filed Mar. 2, 2007 and published Jan. 17,2008, is directed to a solar energy backpack combination device, inwhich a solar energy backpack is provided with a plurality of itemcarrying pockets each configured with an electric power unit. Joiningdevices are used to install the electric power units into the pluralityof item carrying pockets of the solar energy backpack to face the light.The electric power units are each configured with a solar panel facingthe light, and the solar panel is electrically connected to an electricstorage device configured with a battery charging slot and a storagebattery, and the storage battery is electrically connected to aplurality of connecting terminals. Accordingly, light rays are convertedinto electrical energy and stored in the electric storage devices,whereafter an electric power consuming device can be connected to thesolar energy backpack to obtain the needed electric power from thestorage battery of the electric storage device.

U.S. Publication No. 20100198424 for method for reconfigurablyconnecting photovoltaic panels in a photovoltaic array by inventorsTakehara, et al., filed Feb. 19, 2009 and published Aug. 5, 2010, isdirected to a method for controlling output from a photovoltaic arraycomprises changing electrical connections between photovoltaic panels inthe array in response to changes in parameters related to a selectedpower transfer objective. Examples of power transfer objectives includematching array impedance to changes in electrical load impedance,outputting power at a maximum power point value, and maintaining arrayoutput voltage within the input voltage range of an inverter duringchanges in temperature, illumination, or other parameters affectingphotovoltaic panel output. Photovoltaic panels adapted forreconfigurable electrical connections to other photovoltaic panels,referred to as intelligent nodes, are electrically interconnectedaccording to the disclosed method in combinations of serial and parallelcircuits selected according to measured and calculated values ofparameters related to the selected power transfer objective. Aphotovoltaic array operating in accord with the disclosed method may berapidly reconfigured to adapt to changes in measured parameters orchanges from one power transfer objective to another.

U.S. Publication No. 20100109599 for portable solar charging apparatusby inventors Lin et al., filed Nov. 5, 2008 and published May 6, 2010,is directed to a portable solar charging apparatus includes a retainingbase, a snoot, a photoelectric conversion module, a power connector anda joint mechanism. The snoot is mounted onto the retaining base, and acontaining space is formed between the retaining base and the snoot. Thephotoelectric conversion module is contained in the containing space andmounted onto the retaining base. The photoelectric conversion moduleincludes an accumulator and a solar chip electrically connected to theaccumulator. The solar chip is installed corresponding to the snoot. Thepower connector is connected to the retaining base and electricallycoupled to the accumulator. The joint mechanism is connected to theretaining base and disposed outside the containing space. The inventionallows a portable electronic product to be charged and used anytime andimproves the overall photoelectric conversion efficiency.

U.S. Publication No. 20120045929 for PALS compliant routing system byinventors Streeter et al., filed Aug. 23, 2011 and published Feb. 23,2012, is directed to a PALS compliant routing system including flexiblefabric cabling routed through the webbing of a PALS grid. A firstconnector or device is coupled to the cabling. Other connectors coupledto the cabling subsystem include a retention mechanism configured toretain them in the channels of the PALS webbing.

U.S. Publication No. 20120112557 for solar panel with reconfigurableinterconnections by inventor Sager, filed Oct. 8, 2011 and published May10, 2012, is directed to an array of photovoltaic cells arranged as amatrix. A plurality of interconnections are arranged between thephotovoltaic cells, the interconnections being switchably addressable toform serial or parallel connection arrangements.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,558,102 for rotatable junction box for a solar module byinventors Croft, et al., filed Sep. 11, 2009 and issued Oct. 15, 2013,is directed to novel junction boxes for solar modules. The junctionboxes or J-boxes can be rotated or otherwise moved to change themodule's electrical connection state. According to various embodiments,the J-boxes are movable between two or more orientations each associatedwith an electrical connection configuration. In particular embodiments,the configurations include two or more of an on position, an offposition, an on series configuration, an on series-parallelconfiguration, and a bypass configuration. A J-box according to certainembodiments includes a replaceable insert. The insert may include one ormore bypass diodes, an inverter or a DC/DC converter.

U.S. Publication No. 20140001864 for system and method for connection ofphotovoltaic arrays in series and parallel arrangements by inventorsNirantare, et al., filed Jun. 29, 2012 and published Jan. 2, 2014, isdirected to a system and method for selectively connecting photovoltaic(PV) arrays of a PV power system in series and parallel arrangements. ADC-to-AC power inverter in the PV power system is electrically coupledto a plurality of PV arrays to receive a DC output therefrom and invertthe DC output to an AC output, with the DC-to-AC power inverterincluding a DC link that receives the DC output from the plurality of PVarrays. A contactor arrangement is positioned between the plurality ofPV arrays and the DC-to-AC power inverter, with the contactorarrangement including a plurality of contactors that are switchablebetween an on state and an off state to selectively connect theplurality of PV arrays to the DC-to-AC power inverter in a specifiedarrangement, so as to control a level of DC voltage received by theDC-to-AC power inverter from the plurality of PV arrays.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,720,762 for load carrier systems and associatedmanufacturing methods by inventors Hilliard et al., filed Jun. 17, 2011and issued May 13, 2014, is directed to load carrier systems andassociated manufacturing methods. In one embodiment, a load carriersystem can include a unitary piece of material. The unitary piece ofmaterial can include a body portion comprising a first face side, anopposing face side, a first peripheral edge and an opposing secondperipheral edge; and one or more straps comprising a respective extendedend, wherein the straps are an integral part of the body portion;wherein the one or more straps are folded over onto the first face sideadjacent to the first peripheral edge; and wherein at least onerespective end of the one or more straps is fastened to the opposingsecond peripheral edge.

U.S. Publication No. 20140261636 for stand-alone solar power chargerdirectly coupling to portable electronic devices by inventor Anderson,filed Mar. 15, 2013 and published Sep. 18, 2014, is directed to astand-alone solar power charger that may be configured for directcoupling to a plurality of portable electronic devices. The solar powercharger is particularized to power and/or charge an intended portabledevice or a set of intended portable devices having direct current (DC)load requirements. The solar power charger discharges energy without theuse of an internal battery or ancillary electronic circuit boards, andfacilitates “fast” charging modes. More specifically, the solar powercharger incorporates a variety of features that make the design rugged,compact, waterproof, and durable.

U.S. Publication No. 20140312700 for reconfigurable PV configuration byinventors Catthoor, et al., filed Oct. 5, 2012 and published Oct. 23,2014, is directed to a PV module with an array of PV cells whereby themodule is reconfigurable, allowing different configurations to beapplied after installation and during operation, i.e. at run-time. Therun time configuration of the module has controllable devices. The maincontrollable devices are any of (individually or in combination): a)switches which determine the parallel/series connections of the cells aswell as hybrid cases also. b) switches between the cells and local dc/dcconverters and/or among the DC/DC converters; c) actively controlledbypass diodes placed in order to allow excess current to flow in theoccurrence of a mismatch.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,144,255 for system for attaching accessories to tacticalgear by inventor Perciballi, filed Feb. 1, 2013 and issued Sep. 29,2015, is directed to designs and methods for a reversible, textile-basedtactical article. In one embodiment the tactical article comprises atextile based panel perforated with an array of slots arranged invertical and horizontal, spaced apart rows. The panel may be adapted forattaching accessories to either side by lacing a strap through a row ofthe slots and through webbing loops on the accessory positioned betweenthe slots. One side of the panel may have a first appearance, and theother side a second appearance that is different from the firstappearance.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,252,294 for instantaneous solar array recombiningtechnology by inventor Latham, filed Jun. 8, 2012 and issued Feb. 2,2016, is directed to an automatically re-configurable solar arrayapparatus. The apparatus includes a solar array electrically connectedto an inverter through a power switch controlled by a microprocessor.The solar array comprises a combination of solar panel strings wired inparallel. Each solar panel string comprises a plurality of solar panelswired in series. An output electrical parameter level of the combinationof solar panel strings is capable of producing output power from theinverter. The output electrical parameter level of the combination ofsolar panel strings is equal to about a predetermined electricalparameter level under sunny conditions. The solar array is pre-wired topermit microprocessor-controlled switching to reconfigure the array intosolar panel strings of varying lengths. The electrical parameter levelis at least one of a voltage level, a current level, and a power level.

U.S. Publication No. 20180102733 for dynamic reconfiguration of solarpanels based on light condition by inventor Kakalia, filed Oct. 6, 2016and issued Apr. 12, 2018, is directed to a system and method forreconfiguring the electrical connections of solar panels based on thelight condition. The system measures the intensity or irradiance of theambient light at the solar panels. Based on the measurement, the solarpanels are electrically connected in either series or parallel. A switchunit operates the reconfiguration of the electrical connections amongthe solar panels. The selective reconfiguration of the solar panelsprovides extended power generation hours and optimizes the powerproduction of the solar panels.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,531,322 for dynamically reconfigurable photovoltaicsystem by inventors Okandan, et al., filed Apr. 19, 2016 and issued Dec.27, 2016, is directed to a PV system composed of sub-arrays, each havinga group of PV cells that are electrically connected to each other. Apower management circuit for each sub-array has a communicationsinterface and serves to connect or disconnect the sub-array to aprogrammable power grid. The power grid has bus rows and bus columns. Abus management circuit is positioned at a respective junction of a buscolumn and a bus row and is programmable through its communicationinterface to connect or disconnect a power path in the grid. As aresult, selected sub-arrays are connected by selected power paths to bein parallel so as to produce a low system voltage, and, alternately inseries so as to produce a high system voltage that is greater than thelow voltage by at least a factor of ten.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to portable equipment formilitary, law enforcement, aviation, personal survival, hiking,watersports, and camping applications and, more particularly, to asystem for supplying power to a portable battery pack including one ormore batteries enclosed by a wearable and replaceable pouch or skinusing at least one solar panel.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a system for supplyingpower to a portable battery pack using at least one solar panelincluding a portable battery pack including one or more batteriesenclosed in a wearable pouch and at least one solar panel, wherein theone or more batteries include at least one battery element, a batterycover including one or more channels to accommodate wires of one or moreflexible omnidirectional leads and a compartment sized to receive the atleast one battery element, a battery back plate attached to the batterycover, and the one or more flexible omnidirectional leads including aconnector portion and a wiring portion, wherein a flexible spring isprovided around the wiring portion, wherein the wiring portion and theflexible spring are held securely in the one or more channels in thebattery cover such that a portion of the flexible spring is positionedinside the battery cover and a portion of the flexible spring ispositioned outside the battery cover, wherein the wearable pouchincludes a closeable opening through which the one or more batteries areoperable to be removed from the wearable pouch, and one or more openingsthrough which the one or more flexible omnidirectional leads from theone or more batteries can be accessed, wherein the at least one solarpanel includes one or more solar modules electrically connected to oneanother and to at least one output connector, and wherein the at leastone solar panel is operable to supply power to the one or morebatteries.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a system forsupplying power to a portable battery pack using at least one solarpanel including a portable battery pack including one or more batteriesenclosed in a wearable pouch and at least one solar panel, wherein theone or more batteries are rechargeable and include at least one batteryelement, a battery cover including one or more channels to accommodatewires of one or more flexible omnidirectional leads and a compartmentsized to receive the at least one battery element, a battery back plateattached to the battery cover, and the one or more flexibleomnidirectional leads including a connector portion and a wiringportion, wherein a flexible spring is provided around the wiringportion, wherein the wiring portion and the flexible spring are heldsecurely in the one or more channels in the battery cover such that aportion of the flexible spring is positioned inside the battery coverand a portion of the flexible spring is positioned outside the batterycover, wherein the wearable pouch includes a closeable opening throughwhich the one or more batteries are operable to be removed from thewearable pouch, and one or more openings through which the one or moreflexible omnidirectional leads from the one or more batteries can beaccessed, wherein the one or more flexible omnidirectional leads areoperable to charge at least one of the one or more batteries, whereinthe at least one solar panel includes one or more solar moduleselectrically connected to one another and to at least one outputconnector, wherein the at least one solar panel is operable to supplypower to the one or more batteries, and wherein the one or more flexibleomnidirectional leads are operable to supply power to a power consumingdevice.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a system forsupplying power to a portable battery pack using at least one solarpanel including a portable battery pack including one or more batteriesenclosed in a wearable pouch and at least one solar panel, wherein theone or more batteries include at least one battery element, a batterycover including one or more channels to accommodate wires of one or moreflexible omnidirectional leads and a compartment sized to receive the atleast one battery element, a battery back plate attached to the batterycover, and the one or more flexible omnidirectional leads including aconnector portion and a wiring portion, wherein a flexible spring isprovided around the wiring portion, wherein the wiring portion and theflexible spring are held securely in the one or more channels in thebattery cover such that a portion of the flexible spring is positionedinside the battery cover and a portion of the flexible spring ispositioned outside the battery cover, wherein the wearable pouchincludes a closeable opening through which the one or more batteries areoperable to be removed from the wearable pouch and one or more openingsthrough which the one or more flexible omnidirectional leads from theone or more batteries can be accessed, wherein the wearable pouch and/orthe at least one solar panel includes a pouch attachment ladder system(PALS) operable to attach the wearable pouch and/or the at least onesolar panel to a load-bearing platform, wherein the at least one solarpanel includes one or more solar modules electrically connected to oneanother and to at least one output connector, and wherein the at leastone solar panel is operable to supply power to the one or morebatteries.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art after a reading of the following description ofthe preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings, as theysupport the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an example of the portablebattery pack that comprises a battery enclosed by a wearable pouch orskin.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front perspective view of an example of theportable battery pack that comprises a battery enclosed by a wearablepouch or skin.

FIG. 3 illustrates a back perspective view of an example of the portablebattery pack that comprises a battery enclosed by a wearable pouch orskin.

FIG. 4 illustrates an angled perspective view of the front of thewearable pouch or skin of the portable battery pack.

FIG. 5 illustrates another angled perspective view of one embodiment ofthe front of the wearable pouch or skin of the portable battery pack.

FIG. 6 illustrates an angled perspective view of one embodiment of theback of the wearable pouch or skin of the portable battery pack.

FIG. 7A illustrates another angled perspective view of anotherembodiment of the front of the wearable pouch or skin of the portablebattery pack.

FIG. 7B illustrates an angled perspective view of another embodiment ofthe back of the wearable pouch or skin of the portable battery pack.

FIG. 8 shows a side perspective view of the portable battery packaffixed to a vest using zippers.

FIG. 9A illustrates a front perspective view of the wearable pouch orskin of the portable battery pack.

FIG. 9B illustrates a side perspective view of the wearable pouch orskin of the portable battery pack.

FIG. 9C illustrates a back perspective view of the wearable pouch orskin of the portable battery pack.

FIG. 9D illustrates a perspective view of an end of the wearable pouchor skin of the portable battery pack.

FIG. 9E illustrates a perspective view of another end of the wearablepouch or skin of the portable battery pack.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exploded view of an example of the battery of theportable battery pack.

FIG. 11 illustrates a top perspective view of the battery of theportable battery pack when assembled.

FIG. 12 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the battery of theportable battery pack when assembled.

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of the battery cover of theportable battery pack.

FIG. 14A illustrates a top perspective view of the battery cover of theportable battery pack.

FIG. 14B illustrates a cross-section view of the battery cover of theportable battery pack.

FIG. 14C illustrates another cross-section view of the battery cover ofthe portable battery pack.

FIG. 14D illustrates yet another cross-section view of the battery coverof the portable battery pack.

FIG. 15A illustrates a cross-section view of the back plate of thebattery of the portable battery pack.

FIG. 15B illustrates a view of the back plate of the battery of theportable battery pack.

FIG. 15C illustrates another view of the back plate of the battery ofthe portable battery pack.

FIG. 16 illustrates a cutaway view of a portion of the battery, whichshows more details of the flexible omnidirectional battery leads.

FIG. 17A illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of astructure that includes a material for dissipating heat.

FIG. 17B illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of anotherstructure that includes a material for dissipating heat.

FIG. 17C illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of yetanother structure that includes a material for dissipating heat.

FIG. 17D illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of yetanother structure that includes a material for dissipating heat.

FIG. 18 illustrates an exploded view of an example of a battery of aportable battery pack into which a heat dissipating material isinstalled.

FIG. 19 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of the controlelectronics for a state of charge indicator incorporated into theportable battery pack.

FIG. 20A illustrates a block diagram of an example of an SOC system thatincludes a mobile application for use with a portable battery pack.

FIG. 20B illustrates a block diagram of an example of controlelectronics of the portable battery pack that is capable ofcommunicating with the SOC mobile application.

FIG. 20C illustrates a block diagram of another example of controlelectronics of the portable battery pack that is capable ofcommunicating with the SOC mobile application.

FIG. 21 illustrates a front perspective view of an example of theportable battery pack that comprises a battery enclosed by a wearablepouch or skin sized to hold the battery and additional devices orcomponents.

FIG. 22 illustrates a rear perspective view of an example of theportable battery pack that comprises a battery enclosed by a wearablepouch or skin sized to hold the battery and additional devices orcomponents.

FIG. 23 illustrates a front perspective view of another example of theportable battery pack that comprises a battery enclosed by a wearablepouch or skin sized to hold the battery and additional devices orcomponents.

FIG. 24 illustrates a rear perspective view of another example of theportable battery pack that comprises a battery enclosed by a wearablepouch or skin sized to hold the battery and additional devices orcomponents.

FIG. 25 illustrates a block diagram of one example of a powerdistribution and data hub.

FIG. 26 illustrates a block diagram of another example of a powerdistribution and data hub.

FIG. 27 illustrates an interior perspective view of an example of theportable battery pack that includes a battery and a power distributionand data hub enclosed by a wearable pouch or skin.

FIG. 28 is a detail view of the interior perspective view of the exampleof the portable battery pack shown in FIG. 27.

FIG. 29A illustrates an interior perspective view of an example of theportable battery pack that includes an object retention system in thewearable pouch or skin.

FIG. 29B illustrates an interior perspective view of another example ofthe portable battery pack that includes an object retention system inthe wearable pouch or skin.

FIG. 30 is an exploded view of an example of a battery and a powerdistribution and data hub housed in the same enclosure.

FIG. 31 illustrates an interior perspective view of an example of theportable battery pack that includes a battery and a power distributionand data hub housed in the same enclosure.

FIG. 32 is a detail view of the interior perspective view of the exampleof the portable battery pack shown in FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 illustrates a side perspective view of another example of aportable battery pack affixed to a vest using zippers.

FIG. 34 illustrates a front view of one example of a solar panel.

FIG. 35 illustrates a rear view of one example of a solar panel.

FIG. 36 illustrates an exploded view of one example of a solar panel.

FIG. 37 illustrates a plan view of a substrate of one example of a solarpanel.

FIG. 38A illustrates a side view of a portion of the solar panelassembly, showing an example of electrically connecting the solar moduleto the substrate using a conductor.

FIG. 38B illustrates a side view of a portion of the solar panelassembly, showing an example of electrically connecting the solar moduleto the substrate with a connector installed along the length of aconductor.

FIG. 39 illustrates a portion of one example of a solar panel, showing ahook-and-loop system for securing the edges of the fabric around theedges of the solar modules.

FIG. 40 shows a schematic view of an example configuration of the solarmodules in the solar panel.

FIG. 41 shows a schematic view of another example configuration of thesolar modules in the solar panel.

FIG. 42 shows a schematic view of yet another example configuration ofthe solar modules in the solar panel.

FIG. 43 shows a schematic view of still another example configuration ofthe solar modules in the solar panel.

FIG. 44 illustrates a front perspective view of an example of a solarpanel incorporating a pouch attachment ladder system.

FIG. 45 illustrates a back perspective view of an example of a solarpanel incorporating a pouch attachment ladder system.

FIG. 46 illustrates a side perspective view of an example of a solarpanel affixed to a portable battery pack.

FIG. 47 illustrates one example of a solar module used with the solarpanel.

FIG. 48 illustrates one example of a solar panel made with glass free,thin film solar modules.

FIG. 49 illustrates a front perspective view of the solar panel in FIG.48 while folded.

FIG. 50 illustrates a back perspective view of the solar panel in FIG.48 while folded.

FIG. 51 illustrates a top perspective view of one embodiment of thesolar panel in FIG. 48 while unfolded.

FIG. 52 illustrates another portion of the solar panel in FIG. 48.

FIG. 53 is an exploded view of an example of a solar panel into which aheat dissipating material is installed.

FIG. 54 illustrates a front perspective view of an example of acombination signal marker panel and solar panel.

FIG. 55 illustrates a back perspective view of an example of acombination signal marker panel and solar panel.

FIG. 56A shows an example of the combination signal marker panel andsolar panel wherein the signal marker panel and the solar panel aresubstantially the same size.

FIG. 56B shows an example of the combination signal marker panel andsolar panel wherein a smaller signal marker panel is joined to a largersolar panel.

FIG. 56C shows an example of the combination signal marker panel andsolar panel wherein a larger signal marker panel is joined to a smallersolar panel.

FIG. 57 illustrates one example of a signal marker panel.

FIG. 58A illustrates an example of a first side of a signal markerpanel.

FIG. 58B illustrates an example of a second side of a signal markerpanel.

FIG. 59 shows a schematic view of a configuration of the solar modulesin the solar panel according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 60 shows a schematic view of a configuration of the solar modulesin the solar panel according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 61 shows a schematic view of a configuration of the solar modulesin the solar panel according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 62 shows a schematic view of a configuration of the solar modulesin the solar panel according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 63 shows a schematic view of a configuration of the solar modulesin the solar panel according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 64 shows a schematic view of a configuration of the solar modulesin the solar panel according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 65 illustrates one embodiment of a 17V output cable operable toconnect to the solar panel.

FIG. 66 illustrates one embodiment of a 30V output cable operable toconnect to the solar panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is generally directed to a system for supplyingpower to a portable battery pack including a wearable and replaceablepouch or skin with one or more batteries enclosed in the pouch or skinusing at least one solar panel for military, law enforcement, aviation,personal survival, hiking, sports, recreation, hunting, land surveying,expedition, watersports, and camping applications.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a system for supplyingpower to a portable battery pack using at least one solar panelincluding a portable battery pack including one or more batteriesenclosed in a wearable pouch and at least one solar panel, wherein theone or more batteries include at least one battery element, a batterycover including one or more channels to accommodate wires of one or moreflexible omnidirectional leads and a compartment sized to receive the atleast one battery element, a battery back plate attached to the batterycover, and the one or more flexible omnidirectional leads including aconnector portion and a wiring portion, wherein a flexible spring isprovided around the wiring portion, wherein the wiring portion and theflexible spring are held securely in the one or more channels in thebattery cover such that a portion of the flexible spring is positionedinside the battery cover and a portion of the flexible spring ispositioned outside the battery cover, wherein the wearable pouchincludes a closeable opening through which the one or more batteries areoperable to be removed from the wearable pouch, and one or more openingsthrough which the one or more flexible omnidirectional leads from theone or more batteries can be accessed, wherein the at least one solarpanel includes one or more solar modules electrically connected to oneanother and to at least one output connector, and wherein the at leastone solar panel is operable to supply power to the one or morebatteries.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a system forsupplying power to a portable battery pack using at least one solarpanel including a portable battery pack including one or more batteriesenclosed in a wearable pouch and at least one solar panel, wherein theone or more batteries are rechargeable and include at least one batteryelement, a battery cover including one or more channels to accommodatewires of one or more flexible omnidirectional leads and a compartmentsized to receive the at least one battery element, a battery back plateattached to the battery cover, and the one or more flexibleomnidirectional leads including a connector portion and a wiringportion, wherein a flexible spring is provided around the wiringportion, wherein the wiring portion and the flexible spring are heldsecurely in the one or more channels in the battery cover such that aportion of the flexible spring is positioned inside the battery coverand a portion of the flexible spring is positioned outside the batterycover, wherein the wearable pouch includes a closeable opening throughwhich the one or more batteries are operable to be removed from thewearable pouch, and one or more openings through which the one or moreflexible omnidirectional leads from the one or more batteries can beaccessed, wherein the one or more flexible omnidirectional leads areoperable to charge at least one of the one or more batteries, whereinthe at least one solar panel includes one or more solar moduleselectrically connected to one another and to at least one outputconnector, wherein the at least one solar panel is operable to supplypower to the one or more batteries, and wherein the one or more flexibleomnidirectional leads are operable to supply power to a power consumingdevice.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a system forsupplying power to a portable battery pack using at least one solarpanel including a portable battery pack including one or more batteriesenclosed in a wearable pouch and at least one solar panel, wherein theone or more batteries include at least one battery element, a batterycover including one or more channels to accommodate wires of one or moreflexible omnidirectional leads and a compartment sized to receive the atleast one battery element, a battery back plate attached to the batterycover, and the one or more flexible omnidirectional leads including aconnector portion and a wiring portion, wherein a flexible spring isprovided around the wiring portion, wherein the wiring portion and theflexible spring are held securely in the one or more channels in thebattery cover such that a portion of the flexible spring is positionedinside the battery cover and a portion of the flexible spring ispositioned outside the battery cover, wherein the wearable pouchincludes a closeable opening through which the one or more batteries areoperable to be removed from the wearable pouch and one or more openingsthrough which the one or more flexible omnidirectional leads from theone or more batteries can be accessed, wherein the wearable pouch and/orthe at least one solar panel includes a pouch attachment ladder system(PALS) operable to attach the wearable pouch and/or the at least onesolar panel to a load-bearing platform, wherein the at least one solarpanel includes one or more solar modules electrically connected to oneanother and to at least one output connector, and wherein the at leastone solar panel is operable to supply power to the one or morebatteries.

None of the prior art discloses a system for supplying power to aportable battery including one or more batteries enclosed in a wearablepouch using at least one solar panel, wherein the one or more batteriesinclude at least one battery element, a battery cover, a battery backplate, and one or more flexible omnidirectional leads that include aconnector portion and a wiring portion, wherein a flexible spring isprovided around the wiring portion such that a portion of the flexiblespring is positioned inside the battery cover and a portion of theflexible spring is positioned outside the battery cover.

Referring now to the drawings in general, the illustrations are for thepurpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the inventionand are not intended to limit the invention thereto.

Portable Battery Pack

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a portable batterypack including a battery enclosed by, e.g., inside of, a wearable andreplaceable pouch or skin, wherein the pouch or skin can be provided indifferent colors and/or patterns. Namely, a set of multipleinterchangeable pouches or skins can be provided with one battery unit.This feature is particularly beneficial when it is required that theportable battery pack blend into different environments, such as inmilitary applications. In one example, if the portable battery pack isused in a jungle or wilderness environment, the battery can be placedinside a camouflage pouch or skin. In another example, if the portablebattery pack is used in an arctic environment, the battery can be placedinside a white-colored pouch or skin. In yet another example, if theportable battery pack is used in a desert environment, the battery canbe placed inside a sand-colored pouch or skin.

Representative camouflages include, but are not limited to, UniversalCamouflage Pattern (UCP), also known as ACUPAT or ARPAT or Army CombatUniform; MULTICAM®, also known as Operation Enduring Freedom CamouflagePattern (OCP); Universal Camouflage Pattern-Delta (UCP-Delta); AirmanBattle Uniform (ABU); Navy Working Uniform (NWU), including variants,such as, blue-grey, desert (Type II), and woodland (Type III); MARPAT,also known as Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform, including woodland,desert, and winter/snow variants; Disruptive Overwhite Snow DigitalCamouflage, Urban Digital Camouflage, and Tactical Assault Camouflage(TACAM).

Therefore, an aspect of the portable battery pack is that it provides abattery in combination with one or more wearable and replaceable pouchesor skins, wherein the one or more pouches or skins can be differentcolors and/or patterns.

Another aspect of the portable battery pack is that the battery has oneor more leads that can be flexed repeatedly in any direction withoutbreaking or failing. This means the portable battery pack is operable todeliver energy from the battery to power consuming devices located indifferent areas of the load bearing equipment. Similarly, the portablebattery pack is operable to receive energy from charging devices locatedin different areas of the load bearing equipment to the battery.

Yet another aspect of the portable battery pack is that the battery andpouch or skin are lightweight and contoured for comfortable wearing orease of fastening to other equipment, such as a backpack or body armor,while still maintaining the lowest possible profile. Advantageously,this low profile prevents the portable battery pack from interferingwith the wearer while in motion or seated.

Still another aspect of the portable battery pack is that the pouch orskin can be MOLLE-compatible. “MOLLE” means Modular LightweightLoad-carrying Equipment, which is the current generation of load-bearingequipment and backpacks utilized by a number of NATO armed forces. Theportable battery pack can also be made to affix to other equipment(e.g., chair or seat, boat or kayak, helmet) or a user's body (e.g.,back region, chest region, abdominal region, arm, leg) using straps,snaps, hook and loop tape, snaps, ties, buckles, and/or clips for otherapplications.

FIGS. 1-3 are perspective views of an example of the portable batterypack 100 that includes a battery enclosed by a wearable pouch or skin.For example, portable battery pack 100 includes a pouch 110 for holdinga battery 150. The pouch 110 is a wearable pouch or skin that can besized in any manner that substantially corresponds to a size of thebattery 150. In one example, the pouch 110 is sized to hold a battery150 that is about 9.75 inches long, about 8.6 inches wide, and about 1inch thick.

In a preferred embodiment, the pouch 110 is formed of a flexible,durable, and waterproof or at least water-resistant material. Forexample, the pouch 110 is formed of polyester, polyvinyl chloride(PVC)-coated polyester, vinyl-coated polyester, nylon, canvas,PVC-coated canvas, or polycotton canvas. In one embodiment, the pouch110 is formed of a material that is laminated to or treated with awaterproofing or water repellant material (e.g., rubber, PVC,polyurethane, silicone elastomer, fluoropolymers, wax, thermoplasticelastomer). Additionally or alternatively, the pouch 110 is treated witha UV coating to increase UV resistance. The exterior finish of the pouch110 can be any color, such as white, brown, green, orange (e.g.,international orange), yellow, black, or blue, or any pattern, such ascamouflage, as provided herein, or any other camouflage in use by themilitary, law enforcement, or hunters. For example, in FIGS. 1-3, thepouch 110 is shown to have a camouflage pattern. In one embodiment, theexterior of the pouch 110 includes a reflective tape (e.g., infraredreflective tape), fabric, or material. Advantageously, the reflectivetape, fabric, or material improves visibility of the user in low-lightconditions.

The pouch 110 has a first side 112 and a second side 114. The pouch 110also includes a pouch opening 116, which is the opening through whichthe battery 150 is fitted into the pouch 110. In the example shown inFIGS. 1-3, the pouch opening 116 is opened and closed using a zipper, asthe pouch 110 includes a zipper tab 118. Other mechanisms, however, canbe used for holding the pouch opening 116 of the pouch 110 open orclosed, such as, a hook and loop system (e.g., VELCRO®), buttons, snaps,hooks, ties, clips, buckles, and the like. Further, a lead opening 120(see FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 5) is provided on the end of the pouch 110that is opposite the pouch opening 116. For example, the lead opening120 can be a 0.5-inch long slit or a 0.75-inch long slit in the edge ofthe pouch 110. In one embodiment, the lead opening 120 is finished orreinforced with stitching. In another embodiment, the lead opening 120is laser cut.

The battery 150 includes at least one lead. In one example, the battery150 is a rechargeable battery with two leads 152 (e.g., a first lead 152a and a second lead 152 b) as shown in FIGS. 2-3. Each lead 152 can beused for both the charging function and the power supply function. Inother words, the leads 152 a, 152 b are not dedicated to the chargingfunction only or the power supply function only, both leads 152 a, 152 bcan be used for either function at any time or both at the same time. Inone example, the first lead 152 a can be used for charging the battery150 while the second lead 152 b can be used simultaneously for poweringequipment, or both leads 152 can be used for powering equipment, or bothleads 152 can be used for charging the battery 150.

Each lead is preferably operable to charge and discharge at the sametime. In one example, a Y-splitter with a first connector and a secondconnector is attached to a lead. The Y-splitter allows the lead tosupply power to equipment via the first connector and charge the batteryvia the second connector at the same time. Thus, the leads are operableto allow power to flow in and out of the battery simultaneously.

In another embodiment, each lead is operable to charge or discharge, butnot operable to charge and discharge simultaneously. In one embodiment,the battery includes at least one sensor operable to determine if a leadis connected to a load or a power supply. If the at least one sensordetermines that a lead is connected to a load, the discharging functionis enabled and the charging function is disabled. If the at least onesensor determines that a lead is connected to a power supply, thecharging function is enabled and the discharging function is disabled.

In a preferred embodiment, a dust cap is used to cover a correspondinglead. Advantageously, the dust cap protects the connector from dust andother environmental contaminants that may cause battery failure in thefield. The dust cap is preferably permanently attached to thecorresponding lead. Alternatively, the dust cap is removably attachableto the corresponding lead.

The battery is operable to be charged using at least one chargingdevice. In a preferred embodiment, the at least one charging device isan alternating current (AC) adapter, a solar panel, a generator, a windturbine, a portable power case, a fuel cell, a vehicle battery, arechargeable battery, and/or a non-rechargeable battery. Examples of aportable power case are disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 20170229692and U.S. application Ser. Nos. 15/664,776 and 15/836,299, each of whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one embodiment,the battery is connected to the at least one charging device through adirect current-direct current (DC-DC) converter cable.

In another embodiment, the battery is operable to be charged viainductive charging. In one embodiment, the battery is operable to becharged using an inductive charging mat. In an alternative embodiment,the battery is operable to be charged using an inductive puck worn in apocket, on the back of a helmet, or in a rucksack. In one embodiment,the inductive puck is powered using a DC power source. Advantageously,this reduces the number of cables required for a user, which preventsusers from accidentally disconnecting cables (e.g., when getting in andout of spaces like vehicles). Additionally, this allows a user to useproximity charging, which allows the user to focus on the task at handinstead of spending a few seconds connecting the battery to a chargingdevice, which may be located behind the user in a rucksack. Further,this embodiment eliminates the possibility of reverse polarity andarcing between connectors caused by the electrical potential. Theinductive puck is operable to charge additional power consuming devicescarried by a user (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet).

In one embodiment, the battery is operable to be charged by harvestingambient radiofrequency (RF) waves. Alternatively, the battery isoperable to be charged by capturing exothermic body reactions (e.g.,heat, sweat). In one embodiment, the battery is operable to be chargedusing thermoelectric generators, which use temperature differencesbetween the body and the external environment to generate energy. Inanother embodiment, the battery is operable to be charged using sweat(e.g., using lactate). In an alternative embodiment, the battery isoperable to be charged using friction (e.g., triboelectric effect) orkinetic energy. In yet another example, the battery is operable to becharged by a pedal power generator. In one embodiment, the battery isconnected to the pedal power generator through a direct current-directcurrent (DC-DC) converter cable.

The battery is also operable to be charged using energy generated fromrunning water and wind energy. In one embodiment, the wind energy isgenerated using an unmanned aerial system or drone on a tether. In analternative embodiment, the wind energy is generated using a drive alongturbine. In yet another embodiment, the wind energy is generated using astatically mounted turbine (e.g., ground mounted, tower mounted).

With respect to using the battery 150 with pouch 110, first the userunzips the pouch opening 116, then the user inserts one end of thebattery 150 that has, for example, the second lead 152 b through thepouch opening 116 and into the compartment inside the pouch 110. At thesame time, the user guides the end of the second lead 152 b through thelead opening 120, which allows the housing of the battery 150 to fitentirely inside of the pouch 110, as shown in FIG. 1. The first lead 152a is left protruding out of the unzipped portion of the pouch opening116. Then the user zips the pouch opening 116 closed, leaving the zippertab 118 snugged up against the first lead 152 a, as shown in FIG. 2 andFIG. 3. FIG. 2 shows the portable battery pack 100 with the first side112 of the pouch 110 up, whereas FIG. 3 shows the portable battery pack100 with the second side 114 of the pouch 110 up.

As previously described, the battery has at least one lead. In oneembodiment, the pouch has an opening for each corresponding lead. In oneexample, the battery has four leads and the pouch has four openingscorresponding to the four leads. Alternatively, the pouch utilizes thezippered pouch opening to secure one lead and has an opening for eachremaining lead. In one example, the battery has four leads and the pouchhas three openings for three of the four leads. The remaining lead issecured by the zipper.

In another embodiment, the pouch has a seal around an opening for acorresponding lead. The seal is tight around the lead, which preventswater from entering the pouch through the opening. In one embodiment,the seal is formed of a rubber (e.g., neoprene).

In a preferred embodiment, the pouch of the portable battery pack isMOLLE-compatible. In one embodiment, the pouch incorporates a pouchattachment ladder system (PALS), which is a grid of webbing used toattach smaller equipment onto load-bearing platforms, such as vests andbackpacks. For example, the PALS grid consists of horizontal rows of1-inch (2.5 cm) webbing, spaced about one inch apart, and reattached tothe backing at 1.5-inch (3.8 cm) intervals. In one embodiment, thewebbing is formed of nylon (e.g., cordura nylon webbing, MIL-W-43668Type III nylon webbing). Accordingly, a set of straps 122 (e.g., fourstraps 122) are provided on one edge of the pouch 110 as shown in FIGS.2-3. Further, rows of webbing 124 (e.g., four rows 124) are provided onthe first side 112 of the pouch 110, as shown in FIG. 2. Additionally,rows of slots or slits 126 (e.g., seven rows of slots or slits 126) areprovided on the second side 114 of the pouch 110, as shown in FIG. 3. Ina preferred embodiment, the set of straps 122, the rows of webbing 124,and the rows of slots or slits 126 replicate and duplicate the MOLLEunderneath the portable battery pack on the load bearing equipment.Advantageously, this allows for minimal disruption to the user becausethe user can place additional gear pouches or gear (e.g., water bottle,antenna pouch) on the MOLLE of the portable battery pack in anequivalent location.

In other embodiments, the portable battery pack is made to affix toother equipment (e.g., chair or seat, boat or kayak, helmet) or a user'sbody (e.g., back region, chest region, abdominal region, arm, leg) usingstraps, snaps, hook and loop tape, snaps, buckles, ties, and/or clips.In one example, the portable battery pack is made to affix to a seat ofa kayak using at least one strap and at least one side-release buckle.In another example, the portable battery pack is made to affix to auser's body using two shoulder straps. In yet another example, theportable battery pack includes two shoulder straps, a chest strap, and aside-release buckle for the chest strap.

FIGS. 4-6 are perspective views of an example of the pouch 110 of theportable battery pack 100. FIG. 4 shows details of the first side 112 ofthe pouch 110 and of the edge of the pouch 110 that includes the pouchopening 116. FIG. 4 shows the pouch opening 116 in the zipper closedstate. Again, four rows of webbing 124 are provided on the first side112 of the pouch 110. FIG. 5 also shows details of the first side 112 ofthe pouch 110 and shows the edge of the pouch 110 that includes the leadopening 120. FIG. 6 shows details of the second side 114 of the pouch110 and shows the edge of the pouch 110 that includes the pouch opening116. FIG. 6 shows the pouch opening 116 in the zipped closed state.Again, seven rows of slots or slits 126 are provided on the second side114 of the pouch 110.

In another embodiment, the portable battery pack is made to affix to aplate carrier, body armor, or a vest with at least one single width ofzipper tape sewn on the front panel or the back panel (e.g., JPC 2.0™ byCrye Precision) as shown in FIGS. 7A-7B. FIG. 7A shows details of thefirst side 112 of the pouch 110 including a single width of zipper tape190 a and a zipper slider 192 a. The single width of zipper tape 190 amates with a corresponding single width of zipper tape on the platecarrier, the body armor, or the vest. FIG. 7B shows details of thesecond side 114 of the pouch 110 including a single width of zipper tape190 b and a zipper slider 192 b. The single width of zipper tape 190 bmates with a corresponding single width of zipper tape on the platecarrier, the body armor, or the vest.

FIG. 8 shows a side perspective view of the portable battery pack 100affixed to a vest 600 using zippers. A first single width of zipper tape190 a is shown mated with a corresponding first single width of zippertape 194 a on a right side of the vest 600 using a first zipper slider192 a, thereby attaching the portable battery pack 100 to the vest 600.Similarly, a second single width of zipper tape (not shown) is matedwith a second corresponding single width of zipper tape (not shown) on aleft side of the vest 600 using a second zipper slider (not shown).Advantageously, this allows cables to extend out of the pouch through anopening in the second side of the pouch because the rows of slots orslits are not required to the secure the pouch to the vest.

FIGS. 9A-9E illustrate various other views of the pouch 110 of theportable battery pack 100. FIG. 9A shows a view (i.e., “PLAN-A”) of thefirst side 112 of the pouch 110. FIG. 9B shows a side view of the pouch110. FIG. 9C shows a view (i.e., “PLAN-B”) of the second side 114 of thepouch 110. FIG. 9D shows an end view (i.e., “END-A”) of the non-strapend of the pouch 110. FIG. 9E shows an end view (i.e., “END-B”) of thestrap 122-end of the pouch 110. FIG. 10 is an exploded view of anexample of the battery 150 of the portable battery pack 100. The battery150 includes a battery element 164 that is housed between a batterycover 154 and a back plate 162. The battery element 164 supplies thefirst lead 152 a and the second lead 152 b. The battery element 164 isformed of a plurality of sealed battery cells or individually containedbattery cells, i.e. batteries with their own cases, removably disposedtherein. In a preferred embodiment, the battery cells areelectrochemical battery cells, and more preferably, include lithium ionrechargeable batteries. In one embodiment, the battery cells are lithiummetal or lithium ferrous phosphate cells. In an alternative embodiment,the battery cells are all-solid-state cells (e.g., using glasselectrolytes and alkaline metal anodes), such as those disclosed in U.S.Publication Nos. 20160368777 and 20160365602, each of which isincorporated by reference in its entirety. In another embodiment, thebattery is formed using at least one metal-organic framework. In oneembodiment, the battery cells are 18350, 14430, 14500, 18500, 16650,18650, 21700, or 26650 cylindrical cells. The plurality of battery cellsmay be constructed and configured in parallel, series, or a combination.The plurality of battery cells may be in one group or more than onegroup. Advantageously, subdividing the plurality of battery cells intomore than one group allows a larger quantity of lithium ion batteries toarrive by air that otherwise could not be transported due toregulations. In one example, the output of the battery element 164 canbe from about 5 volts DC to about 90 volts DC at from about 0.25 amps toabout 10 amps.

The plurality of battery cells is preferably connected to the leads viaa battery management system. The battery management system protects thebattery from operating outside of a safe operating area by including atleast one safety cutoff. The at least one safety cutoff relates tovoltage, temperature, state of charge, state of health, and/or current.In another embodiment, the battery management system calculates a chargecurrent limit, a discharge current limit, an energy delivered since lastcharge, a charge delivered, a charge stored, a total energy deliveredsince first use, a total operating time since first use, and/or a totalnumber of cycles.

In one embodiment, the plurality of battery cells is removably disposedwithin the battery cover and the back plate. For example, the pluralityof battery cells can be replaced if they no longer hold a sufficientcharge. In one embodiment, the plurality of battery cells is removablydisposed within the battery cover and the back plate as a batterycartridge. In a preferred embodiment, the battery cartridge slides intoan opening in the battery cover or the back plate through a batteryaccess panel. In one embodiment, the battery cartridge is aspring-loaded cartridge. Additionally or alternatively, the batterycartridge has flat contacts and pins. The battery cartridge preferablyhas features that allow the battery cartridge to matingly fit withfeatures in the opening. In another embodiment, the plurality of batterycells is removably disposed within the battery cover and the back plateusing a battery holder or a snap connector. In one embodiment, thebattery holder or the snap connector is electrically connected to thebattery management system via a mating connector (e.g., a rectangularconnector), such as those available from MOLEX® or POWERPOLE® byAnderson Power.

The battery access panel is preferably accessed within the battery coveror the back plate via a door on hinges, which allows the door to stayanchored to the device. Alternatively, the door is secured to thebattery cover or the back plate by screws. The battery access panelpreferably contains a gasket that provides a water tight seal when thedoor is secured to the battery cover or the back plate.

Alternatively, the plurality of battery cells is sealed within thebattery cover and the back plate. In one embodiment, the plurality ofbattery cells is sealed using an adhesive and/or at least one mechanicalfastener (e.g., screws, rivets, pins). In another embodiment, theplurality of battery cells is sealed within the battery cover and theback plate via bonding (e.g., solvent bonding, fusion bonding) and/orwelding (e.g., vibration welding, ultrasonic welding).

The battery cover 154 includes a compartment 156 that is sized toreceive at least one battery element 164. In a preferred embodiment, thecompartment 156 is substantially rectangular in shape with a top hatstyle rim 158 provided around the perimeter of the compartment 156. Thebattery cover 154 incudes at least one channel formed in the batterycover 154 to accommodate a wire of a corresponding lead. The example inFIG. 10 shows two channels 160 (e.g., channels 160 a, 160 b) formed inthe battery cover 154 (one on each side) to accommodate the wires of thefirst lead 152 a and the second lead 152 b passing therethrough. Moredetails of the leads 152 and the battery cover 154 are shown anddescribed herein below with reference to FIG. 16.

The battery cover 154 and the back plate 162 is formed of plastic using,for example, a thermoform process or an injection molding. The backplate 162 can be mechanically attached to the rim 158 of the batterycover 154 via, for example, an ultrasonic spot welding process or anadhesive. Advantageously, the top hat style rim 158 provides a footprintfor the ultrasonic spot welding process and provides structuralintegrity for the battery. In one embodiment, a water barrier material(e.g., silicone) is applied to the mating surfaces of the rim 158 andthe back plate 162. In another embodiment, the battery cover 154, theback plate 162, and/or the battery element 164 has a slight curvature orcontour for conforming to, for example, the user's vest, backpack, orbody armor. In one example, the curvature of the portable battery packis engineered to match the outward curve of body armor. Advantageously,this means that the portable battery pack does not jostle as theoperator moves, which results in less caloric energy expenditure whenthe operator moves. Alternatively, the battery cover 154, the back plate162, and/or the battery element 164 can have a slight outward curvatureor contour for conforming to a user's body (e.g., back region, chestregion, abdominal region, arm, leg). In yet another embodiment, thebattery cover 154, the back plate 162, and/or the battery element 164can have a slight outward curvature or contour for conforming to auser's helmet or hat. More details of the battery cover 154 are shownand described herein below with reference to FIG. 13 and FIGS. 14A-14D.More details of the back plate 162 are shown and described herein belowwith reference to FIGS. 15A-15C.

As previously described, the housing of the at least one batteryincludes a battery cover and a back plate. In one embodiment, thebattery includes more than one battery element encased in the housing.The output voltages of the more than one battery element may be the sameor different. In one example, a first battery element has an outputvoltage of 16.8V and a second battery element has an output voltage of16.8V. In another example, a first battery element has an output voltageof 16.8V and a second battery element has an output voltage of 5V.Advantageously, including more than one battery element encased in thehousing allows a larger quantity of lithium ion batteries to arrive byair that otherwise could not be transported due to regulations.

FIGS. 11-12 are perspective views of the battery 150 of the portablebattery pack 100 when fully assembled. FIG. 11 shows a view of thebattery cover 154-side of the battery 150, while FIG. 12 shows a view ofthe back plate 162-side of the battery 150.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the side of the battery cover 154 thatfaces the battery element 164. FIGS. 14A-14D shows various other viewsof the battery cover 154 of the battery 150 of the portable battery pack100, including example dimensions of the battery cover 154. FIG. 14Aillustrates a top perspective view of the battery cover of the portablebattery pack. FIG. 14B illustrates a cross-section view of the batterycover of the portable battery pack. FIG. 14C illustrates anothercross-section view of the battery cover of the portable battery pack.FIG. 14D illustrates yet another cross-section view of the battery coverof the portable battery pack.

FIGS. 15A-15C illustrate various views of the back plate 162 of thebattery 150 and show the contour and example dimensions of the backplate 162. FIG. 15A illustrates a cross-section view of the back plateof the battery of the portable battery pack. FIG. 15B illustrates a viewof the back plate of the battery of the portable battery pack. FIG. 15Cillustrates another view of the back plate of the battery of theportable battery pack. In one example, the back plate 162 is about 9.75inches long, about 8.6 inches wide, and about 0.4 inches thick.

FIG. 16 is a cutaway view of a portion of the battery 150, which showsmore details of the flexible omnidirectional battery leads 152. Eachlead 152 has a connector portion 170 and a wiring portion 172. Thewiring portion 172 is electrically connected to the battery element 164.In one embodiment, the wiring portion 172 is formed of a saltwaterresistant cable. The connector portion 170 can be any type or style ofconnector needed to mate to the equipment to be used with the battery150 of the portable battery pack 100. In a preferred embodiment, theconnector portion 170 is a female circular type of connector (e.g.,TAJIMI™ part number R04-P5f). In an alternative embodiment, at least oneconnector portion 170 is a male universal serial bus (USB), micro USB,lightning, and/or Firewire connector. In another embodiment, the atleast one connector portion 170 is a 360° mating connector (e.g., LP360by FISCHER®). In yet another embodiment, the connector portion 170 hasan Ingress Protection (IP) rating of IP2X, IP3X, IP4X, IP5X, IP6X, IPX1,IPX2, IPX3, IPX4, IPX5, IPX6, IPX7, or IPX8. More preferably, theconnector portion 170 has an IP rating of IPX6, IPX7, or IPX8. IPratings are described in IEC standard 60529, ed. 2.2 (June 2015),published by the International Electrotechnical Commission, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one embodiment, theconnector portion meets standards described in Department of Defensedocuments MIL-STD-202E, MIL-STD-202F published February 1998,MIL-STD-202G published 18 Jul. 2003, and/or MIL-STD-202H published 18Apr. 2015, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

The wiring portion 172 is fitted into a channel 160 formed in thebattery cover 154 such that the connector portion 170 extends away fromthe battery cover 154. A spring 174 is provided around the wiringportion 172, such that a portion of the spring 174 is inside the batterycover 154 and a portion of the spring 174 is outside the battery cover154. In one example, the spring 174 is a steel spring that is from about0.25 inches to about 1.5 inches long. The wiring portion 172 of the lead152 and the spring 174 are held securely in the channel 160 of thebattery cover 154 via a clamping mechanism 176. Alternatively, thewiring portion of the lead and the spring are held securely in thechannel of the battery cover using an adhesive, a retention pin, a hexnut, a hook anchor, and/or a zip tie.

The presence of the spring 174 around the wiring portion 172 of the lead152 allows the lead 152 to be flexed in any direction for convenientconnection to equipment from any angle. The presence of the spring 174around the wiring portion 172 of the lead 152 also allows the lead 152to be flexed repeatedly without breaking or failing. The design of theleads 152 provides benefit over conventional leads and/or connectors ofportable battery packs that are rigid, wherein conventional rigid leadsallow connection from one angle only and are prone to breakage ifbumped.

In one embodiment, a layer of heat shrink tubing is placed around thewiring portion before the spring is placed around the wiring portion.The heat shrink tubing is preferably flexible. Advantageously, the heatshrink tubing provides additional waterproofing for the battery.

In one embodiment, the battery includes at least one step up voltageconverter and/or at least one step down voltage converter. In oneexample, the battery includes a step up voltage converter from 16.8V to29.4V. In another example, the battery includes a step down voltageconverter from 16.8V to 5V. Advantageously, this allows the portablebattery pack to power devices (e.g., smartphones) with a chargingvoltage of 5V. This also reduces the bulk outside the portable batterypack because the step down voltage converter is housed within thebattery element and a separate external voltage converter is notrequired.

In one embodiment, the wearable pouch includes a material fordissipating heat. Additionally or alternatively, the battery of thewearable battery pack includes at least one layer of a material fordissipating heat. Examples of a material for dissipating heat aredisclosed in U.S. Publication Nos. 20170229692 and 20160112004 and U.S.application Ser. No. 15/664,776, each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIGS. 17A-17D are cross-sectional views of examples of structures thatinclude a material for dissipating heat from electronic devices and/orclothing. The heat-dissipating material can be used in combination with,for example, one or two substrates. For example, FIG. 17A shows astructure 1500 that includes a heat-dissipating layer 1520. Theheat-dissipating layer 1520 can be sandwiched between a first substrate1525 and a second substrate 1530.

The heat-dissipating layer 1520 can be any material that is suitable fordissipating heat from electronic devices and/or clothing. Theheat-dissipating layer 1520 can be from about 20 μm thick to about 350μm thick in one example. In particular embodiments, the heat-dissipatinglayer 1520 can have a thickness ranging from about 1 mil to about 6 mil,including, but not limited to, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mil, or about 25 μmto about 150 μm, including, but not limited to, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125,and 150 μm. Examples of the heat-dissipating layer 1520 includeanti-static, anti-radio frequency (RF), and/or anti-electromagneticinterference (EMI) materials, such as copper shielding plastic or copperparticles bonded in a polymer matrix, as well as anti-tarnish andanti-corrosion materials. A specific example of the heat-dissipatinglayer 1520 is the anti-corrosive material used in Corrosion InterceptPouches, catalog number 034-2024-10, available from University ProductsInc. (Holyoke, Mass.). The anti-corrosive material is described in U.S.Pat. No. 4,944,916 to Franey, which is incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety. Such materials can be formed of copper shielded orcopper impregnated polymers including, but not limited to, polyethylene,low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, andpolystyrene. In another embodiment, the heat shielding or blockingand/or heat-dissipating layer is a polymer with aluminum and/or copperparticles incorporated therein. In particular, the surface area of thepolymer with aluminum and/or copper particles incorporated thereinpreferably includes a large percent by area of copper and/or aluminum.By way of example and not limitation, the surface area of theheat-dissipating layer includes about 25% by area copper and/oraluminum, 50% by area copper and/or aluminum, 75% by area copper and/oraluminum, or 90% by area copper and/or aluminum. In one embodiment, theheat shielding or blocking and/or heat-dissipating layer issubstantially smooth and not bumpy. In another embodiment, the heatshielding or blocking and/or heat-dissipating layer is not flat butincludes folds and/or bumps to increase the surface area of the layer.Alternatively, the heat-shielding or blocking and/or heat-dissipatinglayer 1520 includes a fabric having at least one metal incorporatedtherein or thereon. The fabric further includes a synthetic component,such as by way of example and not limitation, a nylon, a polyester, oran acetate component. Preferably, the at least one metal is selectedfrom the group consisting of copper, nickel, aluminum, gold, silver,tin, zinc, and tungsten.

The first substrate 1525 and the second substrate 1530 can be anyflexible or rigid substrate material. An example of a flexible substrateis any type of fabric. Examples of rigid substrates include, but are notlimited to, glass, plastic, and metal. A rigid substrate may be, forexample, the housing of any device. In one example, both the firstsubstrate 1525 and the second substrate 1530 are flexible substrates. Inanother example, both the first substrate 1525 and the second substrate1530 are rigid substrates. In yet another example, the first substrate1525 is a flexible substrate and the second substrate 1530 is a rigidsubstrate. In still another example, the first substrate 1525 is a rigidsubstrate and the second substrate 1530 is a flexible substrate.Further, the first substrate 1525 and the second substrate 1530 can besingle-layer or multi-layer structures.

In structure 1500 of FIG. 17A, the heat-shielding or blocking and/orheat-dissipating layer 1520, the first substrate 1525, and the secondsubstrate 1530 are bonded or otherwise attached together, by way ofexample and not limitation, by adhesive, laminating, stitching, orhook-and-loop fastener system. In another example and referring now toFIG. 17B, in a structure 1505, the first substrate 1525 is bonded to oneside of the heat shielding or blocking and/or heat-dissipating layer1520, whereas the second substrate 1530 is not bonded or otherwiseattached to the other side of the heat shielding or blocking and/orheat-dissipating layer 1520. In yet another example and referring now toFIG. 17C, in a structure 1510, the first substrate 1525 is providedloosely against one side of the heat shielding or blocking and/orheat-dissipating layer 1520 and the second substrate 1530 is providedloosely against the other side of the heat-dissipating layer 1520. Thefirst substrate 1525 and the second substrate 1530 are not bonded orotherwise attached to the heat shielding or blocking and/orheat-dissipating layer 1520. In still another example and referring nowto FIG. 17D, in a structure 1515, the heat shielding or blocking and/orheat-dissipating layer 1520 is provided in combination with the firstsubstrate 1525 only, either bonded or loosely arranged. In FIG. 17D, ifthe two layers are loosely arranged, the heat-dissipating layer 1520 isnot bonded or otherwise attached to the first substrate 1525. Thematerial for dissipating heat is not limited to the structures 1500,1505, 1510, 1515. These structures are exemplary only.

In one embodiment, the pouch includes at least one layer of a materialto dissipate heat on the first side and/or the second side. In oneembodiment, the first substrate is an interior layer of the pouch andthe second substrate is an exterior layer of the pouch. In analternative embodiment, a structure (e.g., the structure 1515 of FIG.17D) is formed separately and then inserted into the pouch.Advantageously, this provides for retrofitting the pouch with heatprotection from the heat-shielding or blocking and/or heat-dissipatingmaterial layer or coating.

In a preferred embodiment, the battery includes at least one layer of amaterial to dissipate heat. FIG. 18 illustrates an exploded view of anexample of a battery 150 of the portable battery pack 100 into which theheat dissipating material is installed. The battery 150 includes abattery element 164 that is housed between a battery cover 154 and aback plate 162. A first heat-dissipating layer 180 is between thebattery cover 154 and the battery element 164. The firstheat-dissipating layer 180 protects the battery from external heatsources (e.g., a hot vehicle). A second heat-dissipating layer 182 isbetween the battery element 164 and the back plate 162. The secondheat-dissipating layer 182 protects the user from heat given off by thebattery element 164. In another embodiment, the battery 150 includesonly the first heat-dissipating layer 180. In yet another embodiment,the battery 150 includes only the second heat-dissipating layer 182.

In another embodiment, the pouch includes at least one layer of amaterial to provide resistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/orother projectiles. In one embodiment, the at least one layer of amaterial to provide resistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/orother projectiles is formed from an aramid (e.g., KEVLAR®, TWARON®), anultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fiber (UHMWPE) (e.g., SPECTRA®,DYNEEMA®), a polycarbonate (e.g., LEXAN®), a carbon fiber compositematerial, ceramic, steel, boron nitride, a boron nitride compositematerial, and/or a metal (e.g., titanium). In one embodiment, the pouchis sized to fit the battery and the at least one layer of a material toprovide resistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/or otherprojectiles. In another embodiment, the at least one layer of a materialto provide resistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/or otherprojectiles is incorporated into the pouch itself. In yet anotherembodiment, the at least one layer of a material to provide resistanceto bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/or other projectiles is housed in abuilt-in pocket inside of the pouch or permanently affixed (e.g.,laminated, stitched, adhered) to the pouch.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least one layer of a material toprovide resistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/or otherprojectiles is on the first side (i.e., the exterior facing side) of thepouch. Advantageously, this layer protects the battery as well as theuser. In one embodiment, the at least one layer of a material to provideresistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/or other projectiles has aslight curvature or contour for conforming to the battery cover.Additionally or alternatively, the at least one layer of a material toprovide resistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/or otherprojectiles is on the second side (i.e., the user facing side) of thepouch. In one embodiment, the at least one layer of a material toprovide resistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/or otherprojectiles has a slight curvature or contour for conforming to the backplate. Advantageously, this layer provides additional protection to theuser.

In another embodiment, the battery includes a material to provideresistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/or other projectiles. Inone embodiment, the material to provide resistance to bullets, knives,shrapnel, and/or other projectiles is incorporated into the batterycover and/or back plate. In an alternative embodiment, the material toprovide resistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/or otherprojectiles is between the battery cover and the battery element.Advantageously, this layer protects the plurality of battery cellshoused in the battery as well as the user. Additionally oralternatively, the material to provide resistance to bullets, knives,shrapnel, and/or other projectiles is between the battery element andthe back plate. Advantageously, this layer provides additionalprotection to the user.

As previously described, the pouch is preferably formed of a flexible,durable, and waterproof and/or water-resistant material. In oneembodiment, seams of the pouch are sewn with an anti-wick or non-wickingthread. In one example, the anti-wick or non-wicking polyester thread isa bonded polyester thread with wax coating (e.g., DABOND®). The waxcoating on the thread plugs stitch holes to waterproof seams.Alternatively, seams are joined together using ultrasonic welding.

In one embodiment, the pouch includes drainage holes to remove waterfrom the pouch. The drainage holes are formed of a mesh fabric.Alternatively, the drainage holes are formed using holes with grommetsin the waterproof and/or water-resistant material.

In another embodiment, the pouch incudes at least one desiccant toremove moisture from the pouch. In one embodiment, the at least onedesiccant includes silica. Alternatively, the at least one desiccantincludes activated charcoal, calcium sulfate, calcium chloride, and/ormolecular sieves (e.g., zeolites).

The portable battery pack includes leads having a connector portion. Aspreviously described, the connector portion can be any type or style ofconnector needed to mate to equipment to be used with the battery of theportable battery pack. In one embodiment, a cord connector is used toprotect a mated connection between the connector portion and theequipment. Examples of a cord connector include U.S. Pat. Nos.5,336,106, 5,505,634, and 5,772,462, each of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. Alternatively, a piece of heatshrink tubing is positioned to cover a mated connection between theconnector portion and the equipment. In a preferred embodiment, the heatshrink tubing is sized to cover at least 0.25 inch of cabling on eitherside of the mated connection. Heat is then applied using a heat gun orhair dryer to shrink the tubing and seal the mated connection.

In one embodiment, the portable battery pack includes at least oneprocessor. The at least one processor is preferably housed in thebattery. In another embodiment, the at least one processor isincorporated into control electronics used to determine the state ofcharge (SOC) of the portable battery pack. Examples of state of chargeindicators are disclosed in U.S. Publication Nos. 20170269162 and20150198670, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIG. 19 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of the controlelectronics for a state of charge indicator incorporated into theportable battery pack. In this example, the control electronics 2430includes a voltage sensing circuit 2432, an analog-to-digital converter(ADC) 2434, a processor 2436, the indicator 2440, and optionally adriver 2442.

The voltage sensing circuit 2432 can be any standard voltage sensingcircuit, such as those found in volt meters. An input voltage VIN issupplied via the power BUS. In one embodiment, the voltage sensingcircuit 2432 is designed to sense any direct current (DC) voltage in therange of from about 0 volts DC to about 50 volts DC. In one embodiment,the voltage sensing circuit 2432 includes standard amplification orde-amplification functions for generating an analog voltage thatcorrelates to the amplitude of the input voltage VIN that is present.The ADC 2434 receives the analog voltage from the voltage sensingcircuit 2432 and performs a standard analog-to-digital conversion.

The processor 2436 manages the overall operations of the SOC indicator.The processor 2436 is any controller, microcontroller, or microprocessorthat is capable of processing program instructions.

The indicator 2440 is any visual, audible, or tactile mechanism forindicating the state of charge of the portable battery pack. A preferredembodiment of a visual indicator is at least one 5-bar liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), wherein five bars flashing or five bars indicatesgreatest charge and one bar or one bar flashing indicates least charge.Another example of a visual indicator is at least one seven-segmentnumeric LCD, wherein the number 5 flashing or the number 5 indicatesgreatest charge and the number 1 or the number 1 flashing indicatesleast charge. Alternatively, the at least one LCD displays the voltageof the portable battery pack as measured by the control electronics.

The at least one LCD is preferably covered with a transparent material.In a preferred embodiment, the cover is formed of a clear plastic (e.g.,poly(methyl methacrylate)). This provides an extra layer of protectionfor the at least one LCD, much like a screen protector provides an extralayer of protection for a smartphone. This increases the durability ofthe at least one LCD. In one embodiment, the at least one LCD is on thehousing of the battery. In a preferred embodiment, the housing of thebattery includes a waterproof sealant (e.g., silicone) around the cover.

Alternatively, a visual indicator is at least one LED. One preferredembodiment of a visual indicator is a set of light-emitting diodes(LEDs) (e.g., 5 LEDs), wherein five lit LEDs flashing or five lit LEDsindicates greatest charge and one lit LED or one lit LED flashingindicates least charge. In one embodiment, the LEDs are red, yellow,and/or green. In one example, two of the LEDs are green to indicate amostly full charge on the portable battery pack, two of the LEDs areyellow to indicate that charging will soon be required for the portablebattery pack, and one LED is red to indicate that the portable batterypack is almost drained. In a preferred embodiment, at least three bars,lights, or numbers are used to indicate the state of charge.

In one embodiment, the at least one LED is preferably covered with atransparent material. In a preferred embodiment, the cover is formed ofa clear plastic (e.g., poly(methyl methacrylate)). This provides anextra layer of protection for the at least one LED. This increases thedurability of the at least one LED. In one embodiment, the at least oneLED is on the housing of the battery. In a preferred embodiment, thehousing of the battery includes a waterproof sealant (e.g., silicone)around the cover.

One example of an audible indicator is any sounds via an audio speakeror a headset, such as beeping sounds, wherein five beeps indicatesgreatest charge and one beep indicates least charge. Another example ofan audible indicator is vibration sounds via any vibration mechanism(e.g., vibration motor used in mobile phones), wherein five vibrationsounds indicates greatest charge and one vibration sound indicates leastcharge.

One example of a tactile indicator is any vibration mechanism (e.g.,vibration motor used in mobile phones), wherein five vibrations indicategreatest charge and one vibration indicate least charge. Another exampleof a tactile indicator is a set of pins that rise up and down to be feltin Braille-like fashion, wherein five raised pins indicates greatestcharge and one raised pin indicates least charge.

In one example, the processor 2436 is able to drive indicator 2440directly. In one embodiment, the processor 2436 is able to drivedirectly a 5-bar LCD or a seven-segment numeric LCD. In another example,however, the processor 2436 is not able to drive indicator 2440directly. In this case, the driver 2442 is provided, wherein the driver2442 is specific to the type of indicator 2440 used in the controlelectronics 2430.

Additionally, the processor 2436 includes internal programmablefunctions for programming the expected range of the input voltage VINand the correlation of the value the input voltage VIN to what isindicated at the indicator 2440. In other words, the discharge curve ofthe portable battery pack can be correlated to what is indicated atindicator 2440. In one embodiment, the processor 2436 is programmedbased on a percent discharged or on an absolute value present at theinput voltage VIN. In one embodiment, the processor is programmed withthe purpose of intentionally giving a lower state of charge thanactually available. In this embodiment, the battery will last longerbecause it will not reach a completely discharged state as frequently.Advantageously, this embodiment encourages the user to recharge thebattery before it runs down. Further, this embodiment extends theoverall life of the battery and increases performance of the battery.

In another embodiment, the processor is programmed to not take a voltagereading when the load is a maximum load. In one example, the battery ispowering a radio, and the processor is programmed to not take a voltagereading when the radio is transmitting or receiving. Alternatively, theprocessor is programmed to take a voltage reading when the load isminimized.

In one embodiment, the control electronics includes at least oneantenna, which allows the portable battery pack to send information(e.g., state of charge information) to at least one remote device (e.g.,smartphone, tablet, laptop computer, satellite phone) and/or receiveinformation (e.g., software updates, activation of kill switch) from atleast one remote device. The at least one antenna provides wirelesscommunication, standards-based or non-standards-based, by way of exampleand not limitation, radiofrequency, BLUETOOTH®, ZIGBEE®, Near FieldCommunication, or similar commercially used standards.

FIG. 20A illustrates a block diagram of an example of an SOC system 2500that includes a mobile application for use with a portable battery pack.The SOC system 2500 includes a battery 150 having a communicationsinterface 2510.

The communications interface 2510 is any wired and/or wirelesscommunication interface for connecting to a network and by whichinformation may be exchanged with other devices connected to thenetwork. Examples of wired communication interfaces include, but are notlimited to, System Management Bus (SMBus), USB ports, RS232 connectors,RJ45 connectors, Ethernet, and any combinations thereof. Examples ofwireless communication interfaces include, but are not limited to, anIntranet connection, Internet, ISM, BLUETOOTH® technology, WI-FI®,WIMAX®, IEEE 802.11 technology, radio frequency (RF), Near FieldCommunication (NFC), ZIGBEE®, Infrared Data Association (IrDA)compatible protocols, Local Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Networks(WAN), Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP), any combinations thereof,and other types of wireless networking protocols.

The communications interface 2510 is used to communicate, preferablywirelessly, with at least one remote device, such as but not limited to,a mobile phone 2130 or a tablet 2132. The mobile phone 2130 can be anymobile phone that (1) is capable of running mobile applications and (2)is capable of communicating with the portable battery pack. The mobilephone 2130 can be, for example, an ANDROID™ phone, an APPLE® IPHONE®, ora SAMSUNG® GALAXY® phone. Likewise, the tablet 2132 can be any tabletthat (1) is capable of running mobile applications and (2) is capable ofcommunicating with the portable battery pack. The tablet 2132 can be,for example, the 3G or 4G version of the APPLE® IPAD®.

Further, in the SOC system 2500, the mobile phone 2130 and/or the tablet2132 is in communication with a cellular network 2516 and/or a network2514. The network 2514 can be any network for providing wired orwireless connection to the Internet, such as a local area network (LAN)or a wide area network (WAN).

An SOC mobile application 2512 is installed and running at the mobilephone 2130 and/or the tablet 2132. The SOC mobile application 2512 isimplemented according to the type (i.e., the operating system) of mobilephone 2130 and/or tablet 2132 on which it is running. The SOC mobileapplication 2512 is designed to receive SOC information from theportable battery pack. The SOC mobile application 2512 indicatesgraphically, audibly, and/or tactilely, the state of charge to the user(not shown).

FIG. 20B illustrates a block diagram of an example of an SOC system 2520of the portable battery pack that is capable of communicating with theSOC mobile application 2512. In this example, the SOC system 2520includes an SOC portion 2522 and a communications portion 2524. The SOCportion 2522 is substantially the same as the control electronics 2430shown in FIG. 19. The communications portion 2524 handles thecommunication of the SOC information to the SOC mobile application 2512at, for example, the mobile phone 2130 and/or the tablet 2132.

The communications portion 2524 includes a processor 2526 that iscommunicatively connected to the communications interface 2510. Thedigital output of the ADC 2434 of the SOC portion 2522, which is the SOCinformation, feeds an input to the processor 2526. The processor 2526can be any controller, microcontroller, or microprocessor that iscapable of processing program instructions. One or more batteries 2528provide power to the processor 2526 and the communications interface2510. The one or more batteries 2528 can be any standard cylindricalbattery, such as quadruple-A, triple-A, or double-A, or a battery fromthe family of button cell and coin cell batteries. A specific example ofa battery 2528 is the CR2032 coin cell 3-volt battery.

In SOC system 2520, the SOC portion 2522 and the communications portion2524 operate substantially independent of one another. Namely, thecommunications portion 2524 is powered separately from the SOC portion2522 so that the communications portion 2524 is not dependent on thepresence of the input voltage VIN at the SOC portion 2522 for power.Therefore, in this example, the communications portion 2524 is operableto transmit information to the SOC mobile application 2512 at any time.However, in order to conserve battery life, in one embodiment theprocessor 2526 is programmed to be in sleep mode when no voltage isdetected at the input voltage VIN at the SOC portion 2522 and to wake upwhen an input voltage VIN is detected. Alternatively, the processor 2526is programmed to periodically measure the SOC and send SOC informationto the SOC mobile application 2512 on the at least one remote deviceperiodically, such as every hour, regardless of the state of inputvoltage VIN.

FIG. 20C illustrates a block diagram of another example of controlelectronics 2530 of the portable battery pack that is capable ofcommunicating with the SOC mobile application 2512. In this example, theoperation of the communications interface 2510 is dependent on thepresence of a voltage at input voltage VIN. This is because, in controlelectronics 2530, the communications interface 2510 is powered from theoutput of voltage sensing circuit 2432. Further, the processor 2436provides the input (i.e., the SOC information) to the communicationsinterface 2510. A drawback of the control electronics 2530 of FIG. 20Cas compared with the SOC system 2520 of FIG. 20B, is that it is operableto transmit SOC information to the SOC mobile application 2512 only whenthe portable battery pack has a charge.

Alternatively, the SOC of the battery of the portable battery pack isdetermined by a pluggable state of charge indicator. An example of apluggable state of charge indicator is disclosed in U.S. PublicationNos. 20170269162 and 20150198670, each of which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety. Advantageously, intermittently measuringthe SOC of the battery extends the run time of the battery.

In another preferred embodiment, the portable battery pack includes abattery enclosed by a wearable pouch or skin sized to hold the batteryand additional devices or components as shown in FIGS. 21-22. In thisexample, the pouch 110 is a wearable pouch or skin that can be sized inany manner that substantially corresponds to a size of at least onebattery, at least one radio, at least one power and/or data hub, atleast one GPS system, and/or other gear.

In a preferred embodiment, the pouch 110 is formed of a flexible,durable, and waterproof or at least water-resistant material. Forexample, the pouch 110 is formed of polyester, polyvinyl chloride(PVC)-coated polyester, vinyl-coated polyester, nylon, canvas,PVC-coated canvas, or polycotton canvas. In one embodiment, the pouch110 is formed of a material that is laminated to or treated with awaterproofing or water repellant material (e.g., rubber, PVC,polyurethane, silicone elastomer, fluoropolymers, wax, thermoplasticelastomer). Additionally or alternatively, the pouch 110 is treated witha UV coating to increase UV resistance. The exterior finish of the pouch110 can be any color, such as white, brown, green, orange (e.g.,international orange), yellow, black, or blue, or any pattern, such ascamouflage, as provided herein, or any other camouflage in use by themilitary, law enforcement, or hunters. For example, in FIGS. 21-22, thepouch 110 is shown to have a camouflage pattern. In one embodiment, theexterior of the pouch 110 includes a reflective tape (e.g., infraredreflective tape), fabric, or material. Advantageously, the reflectivetape, fabric, or material improves visibility of the user in low-lightconditions.

The pouch 110 has a first side 112 and a second side 114. The pouch 110also includes a pouch opening 116, which is the opening through which abattery is fitted into the pouch 110. In the example shown in FIGS.21-22, the pouch opening 116 is opened and closed using a zipper, as thepouch 110 includes a zipper tab 118. Other mechanisms, however, can beused for holding the pouch opening 116 of the pouch 110 open or closed,such as, a hook and loop system (e.g., VELCRO®), buttons, snaps, hooks,ties, clips, buckles, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, the pouch110 has at least one opening for a corresponding lead. In the exampleshown in FIGS. 21-22, the pouch 110 has a first lead opening 120 a for afirst lead 152 a and a second lead opening 120 b for a second lead 152b. For example, the first lead opening 120 a and/or the second leadopening 120 b can be a 0.5-inch long slit or a 0.75-inch long slit inthe edge of the pouch 110. In one embodiment, the first lead opening 120a and/or the second lead opening 120 b is finished or reinforced withstitching. In another embodiment, the first lead opening 120 a and/orthe second lead opening 120 b is laser cut.

In a preferred embodiment, the pouch 110 of the portable battery pack100 is MOLLE-compatible. In one embodiment, the pouch 110 incorporates apouch attachment ladder system (PALS), which is a grid of webbing usedto attach smaller equipment onto load-bearing platforms, such as vestsand backpacks. For example, the PALS grid consists of horizontal rows of1-inch (2.5 cm) webbing, spaced about one inch apart, and reattached tothe backing at 1.5-inch (3.8 cm) intervals. In one embodiment, thewebbing is formed of nylon (e.g., cordura nylon webbing, MIL-W-43668Type III nylon webbing). Accordingly, a set of straps 122 (e.g., fourstraps 122) are provided on one edge of the pouch 110 as shown. Further,rows of webbing 124 (e.g., seven rows 124) are provided on the firstside 112 of the pouch 110, as shown in FIG. 21. Additionally, rows ofslots or slits 126 (e.g., eleven rows of slots or slits 126) areprovided on the second side 114 of the pouch 110, as shown in FIG. 22.In a preferred embodiment, the set of straps 122, the rows of webbing124, and the rows of slots or slits 126 replicate and duplicate theMOLLE underneath the portable battery pack on the load bearingequipment. Advantageously, this allows for minimal disruption to theuser because the user can place additional gear pouches or gear (e.g.,water bottle, antenna pouch) on the MOLLE of the portable battery packin an equivalent location.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 21-22, the portable battery pack ismade to affix to a plate carrier, body armor, or a vest with at leastone single width of zipper tape sewn on the front panel or the backpanel (e.g., JPC 2.0™ by Crye Precision). FIGS. 21-22 show details ofthe first side 112 of the pouch 110 including a first single width ofzipper tape 190 a and a first zipper slider 192 a and a second singlewidth of zipper tape 190 b and a second zipper slider 192 b. The firstsingle width of zipper tape 190 a mates with a corresponding singlewidth of zipper tape on the plate carrier, the body armor, or the vest.The second single width of zipper tape 190 b also mates with acorresponding single width of zipper tape on the plate carrier, the bodyarmor, or the vest.

In one embodiment, at least one lead of the battery of the portablebattery pack is used to power at least one device enclosed in the pouchof the portable battery pack. In the example shown in FIGS. 23-24, thebattery of the portable battery pack has a first lead 152 a and a secondlead (not shown). The first lead 152 a exits the pouch 110 through alead opening 120. The second lead is used to power at least one deviceenclosed in the pouch 110 of the portable battery pack.

The portable battery pack is operable to supply power to a powerdistribution and data hub. The power distribution and data hub isoperable to supply power to at least one peripheral device (e.g.,tablet, smartphone, computer, radio, rangefinder, GPS system). The powerdistribution and data hub is also operable to transfer data between atleast two of the peripheral devices. Additionally, the powerdistribution and data hub is operable to transfer data between thebattery and the at least one peripheral device when the battery includesat least one processor. In a preferred embodiment, the powerdistribution and data hub is enclosed in the pouch of the portablebattery pack. Alternatively, the power distribution and data hub is notenclosed in the pouch of the portable battery pack.

FIG. 25 illustrates a block diagram of one example of a powerdistribution and data hub (e.g., STAR-PAN™ by Glenair). The powerdistribution and data hub 2100 is connected to the battery 150 of theportable battery pack. The battery 150 supplies power to the powerdistribution and data hub 2100. In the example shown in FIG. 25, thepower distribution and data hub 2100 provides power to an end userdevice (EUD) 2102. The end user device 2102 is a tablet, a smartphone,or a computer (e.g., laptop computer). The power distribution and datahub 2100 is operable to provide power to a first peripheral device 2104,a second peripheral device 2106, a third peripheral device 2108, and afourth peripheral device 2110 through a personal area network (PAN). Inone embodiment, the first peripheral device 2104, the second peripheraldevice 2106, the third peripheral device 2108, and/or the fourthperipheral device 2110 is a radio, a rangefinder (e.g., Pocket LaserRange Finder (PLRF)), a laser designator (e.g., Special OperationsForces Laser Acquisition Marker (SOFLAM), Type 163 Laser TargetDesignator), a targeting system (e.g., FIRESTORM™), a GPS device (e.g.,Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR)), night vision goggles, anelectronic jamming system (e.g., AN/PLT-4, AN/PLT-5 (Thor II) by SierraNevada Corporation, Thor III), a mine detector, a metal detector, acamera (e.g., body camera), a thermal imaging device (e.g., camera,binoculars), a short wave infrared (SWIR) device, a satellite phone, anantenna, a lighting system (e.g., portable runway lights, infraredstrobe lights), an environmental sensor (e.g., radiation, airbornechemicals, pressure, temperature, humidity), an amplifier, and/or areceiver (e.g., Tactical Net ROVER™ Intelligence, Surveillance, andReconnaissance (ISR), Multi-Band Digital Video Receiver Enhanced (MVRVIE), Multi-Band Video Receiver (MVR IV), Soldier Intelligence Receiver(SIR), STRIKEHAWK™ Video Downlink Receiver). The power distribution anddata hub 2100 is operable to supply power to peripheral devices thatrequire 5V charging via a USB adapter.

The power distribution and data hub 2100 is operable to supply power toa first radio 2112 and a second radio 2114. In a preferred embodiment,the first radio 2112 and/or the second radio 2114 is a PRC-152, aPRC-154, a PRC-117G, a PRC-161, a persistent wave relay, a PRC-148MBITR, a PRC-148 JEM, a PRC-6809 MBITR Clear, a RT-1922 SADL, aRF-7850M-HH, a ROVER® (e.g., ROVER® 6x Transceiver by L3 CommunicationSystems), a push-to-talk radio, and/or a PNR-1000. Alternative radiosare compatible with the present invention.

In another embodiment, the first peripheral device 2104, the secondperipheral device 2106, the third peripheral device 2108, and/or thefourth peripheral device 2110 is a fish finder and/or a chartplotter, anaerator or a live bait well, a camera (e.g., an underwater camera), atemperature and/or a depth sensor, a stereo, a drone, and/or a lightingsystem. In one embodiment, the lighting system includes at least oneLED.

The power distribution and data hub is operable to recharge at least onebattery. For example, the power distribution and data hub is operable torecharge a battery for a drone and/or a robot. The power distributionand data hub is also operable to recharge CR123 batteries, which areoften used in devices, such as camera and lighting systems.Advantageously, this allows the power distribution and data hub torecharge batteries in remote locations without access to a power grid, agenerator, and/or a vehicle battery.

The power distribution and data hub 2100 is operable to transfer databetween the end user device 2102, the first peripheral device 2104, thesecond peripheral device 2106, the third peripheral device 2108, thefourth peripheral device 2110, the first radio 2112, the second radio2114, and/or the battery 150 when the battery 150 includes at least oneprocessor.

The power distribution and data hub 2100 has a port to obtain power froman auxiliary power source 2116. In one embodiment, the auxiliary powersource 2116 is an alternating current (AC) adapter, a solar panel, agenerator, a portable power case, a fuel cell, a vehicle battery, arechargeable battery, and/or a non-rechargeable battery. Alternatively,the auxiliary power source 2116 is an inductive charger. In anotherembodiment, the auxiliary power source 2116 is operable to supply powerto the power distribution and data hub 2100 by harvesting ambientradiofrequency (RF) waves, capturing exothermic body reactions (e.g.,heat, sweat), using friction (e.g., triboelectric effect) or kineticenergy, or harvesting energy from running water or wind energy. In yetanother embodiment, the auxiliary power source 2116 is a pedal powergenerator. The auxiliary power source 2116 is preferably operable torecharge the battery 150.

FIG. 26 illustrates a block diagram of another example of a powerdistribution and data hub (e.g., APEX™ by Black Diamond AdvancedTechnology). The power distribution and data hub 2200 is connected tothe battery 150 of the portable battery pack. The battery 150 suppliespower to the power distribution and data hub 2200. In the example shownin FIG. 26, the power distribution and data hub 2200 provides power toan end user device 2102. The end user device 2102 is a tablet, asmartphone, or a computer (e.g., laptop computer). The powerdistribution and data hub 2200 is operable to provide power to a firstperipheral device 2104, a second peripheral device 2106, a thirdperipheral device 2108, and a fourth peripheral device 2110. In oneembodiment, the first peripheral device 2104, the second peripheraldevice 2106, the third peripheral device 2108, and/or the fourthperipheral device 2110 is a radio, a rangefinder (e.g., Pocket LaserRange Finder (PLRF)), a laser designator (e.g., Special OperationsForces Laser Acquisition Marker (SOFLAM), Type 163 Laser TargetDesignator), a targeting system (e.g., FIRESTORM™), a GPS device (e.g.,Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR)), night vision goggles, anelectronic jamming system (e.g., AN/PLT-4, AN/PLT-5 (Thor II) by SierraNevada Corporation, Thor III), a mine detector, a metal detector, acamera (e.g., body camera), a thermal imaging device (e.g., camera,binoculars), a short wave infrared (SWIR) device, a satellite phone, anantenna, a lighting system (e.g., portable runway lights, infraredstrobe lights), an environmental sensor (e.g., radiation, airbornechemicals, pressure, temperature, humidity), an amplifier, and/or areceiver (e.g., Tactical Net ROVER™ Intelligence, Surveillance, andReconnaissance (ISR), Multi-Band Digital Video Receiver Enhanced (MVRVIE), Multi-Band Video Receiver (MVR IV), Soldier Intelligence Receiver(SIR), STRIKEHAWK™ Video Downlink Receiver). In a preferred embodiment,the radio is a PRC-152, a PRC-154, a PRC-117G, a PRC-161, a persistentwave relay, a PRC-148 MBITR, a PRC-148 JEM, a PRC-6809 MBITR Clear, aRT-1922 SADL, a RF-7850M-HH, a ROVER® (e.g., ROVER® 6x Transceiver by L3Communication Systems), a push-to-talk radio, and/or a PNR-1000.Alternative radios are compatible with the present invention.

The power distribution and data hub 2200 is operable to transfer databetween the end user device 2102, the first peripheral device 2104, thesecond peripheral device 2106, the third peripheral device 2108, thefourth peripheral device 2110, and/or the battery 150 when the battery150 includes at least one processor.

In one embodiment, the power distribution and data hub includes at leastone step up voltage converter and/or at least one step down voltageconverter. In one example, the power distribution and data hub ispowered by a 16.8V battery and includes a step up voltage converter to29.4V. In another example, the power distribution and data hub ispowered by a 16.8V battery and includes a step down voltage converter to5V. Advantageously, this allows the portable battery pack to powerdevices (e.g., smartphones) with a charging voltage of 5V. This alsoreduces the bulk outside the power distribution and data hub because thestep down voltage converter is housed within the power distribution anddata hub and a separate external voltage converter is not required.

In another embodiment, the power distribution and data hub is operableto prioritize a supply of power to the at least one peripheral device.In one example, the power distribution and data hub is connected to afirst peripheral device and a second peripheral device. The powerdistribution and data hub will stop supplying power to the secondperipheral device when the available power in the battery and/orauxiliary power source is lower than a designated threshold. In anotherexample, the power distribution and data hub is connected to a firstperipheral device, a second peripheral device, a third peripheraldevice, and a fourth peripheral device. The power distribution and datahub will stop supplying power to the fourth peripheral device when theavailable power in the battery and/or auxiliary power source is lowerthan a first designated threshold, the power distribution and data hubwill stop supplying power to the third peripheral device when theavailable power in the battery and/or auxiliary power source is lowerthan a second designated threshold, and the power distribution and datahub will stop supplying power to the second peripheral device when theavailable power in the battery and/or auxiliary power source is lowerthan a third designated threshold.

In one embodiment, the power distribution and data hub provides power inan order of priority of the attached peripheral device and automaticallycuts out devices of lower mission priority in order to preserveremaining power for higher priority devices. In one example, a radio hasa first (i.e., top) priority, a tablet has a second priority, a mobilephone has a third priority, and a laser designator (e.g., SpecialOperations Forces Laser Acquisition Marker (SOFLAM)) has a fourthpriority.

In one embodiment, the power distribution and data hub prioritizes atleast one peripheral device by using at least one smart cable. The atleast one smart cable stores information including, but not limited to,a unique identifier (e.g., MAC address) for the at least one peripheraldevice, power requirements of the at least one peripheral device, a typeof device for the at least one peripheral device, and/or a priorityranking for the at least one peripheral device.

FIG. 27 illustrates an interior perspective view of an example of theportable battery pack that includes a battery 150 and a powerdistribution and data hub 2100 enclosed by a wearable pouch or skin. Thefirst side 112 of the pouch 110 has an interior of the first side 2301.The second side 114 of the pouch 110 has an interior of the second side2302. The first side 112 has a first side gusset 2303 and the secondside 114 has a second side gusset 2304. The first side gusset 2303 andthe second side gusset 2304 are attached at a top position of a fabricstop 2306 and a bottom position of the fabric stop 2306. A zipper 2308with a zipper pull 2310 is attached to the first side gusset 2303 andthe second side gusset 2304. Advantageously, this configuration allowsthe pouch 110 to lie flat when opened.

In a preferred embodiment, an interior of the pouch includes at leastone integrated pocket. In the example shown in FIG. 27, the interior ofthe first side 2301 has an integrated pocket 2312. The integrated pocket2312 is formed of polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-coated polyester,vinyl-coated polyester, nylon, canvas, PVC-coated canvas, polycottoncanvas, and/or a mesh fabric. In a preferred embodiment, the integratedpocket 2312 is formed of a clear vinyl fabric. Advantageously, thisallows a user to see the contents of the integrated pocket 2312. In oneexample, the user stores a map or instructions in the integrated pocket2312. The integrated pocket 2312 closes using a piece of elastic 2314.Alternatively, the integrated pocket 2312 closes using a zipper, a hookand loop system, one or more buttons, one or more snaps, one or moreties, one or more buckles, one or more clips, and/or one or more hooks.

The interior of the second side 2302 holds a battery 150, a powerdistribution and data hub 2100, a first radio 2112, and a second radio2114. In a preferred embodiment, the battery 150 is held in place by atleast one strap 2318. The at least one strap 2318 is preferably made ofan elastic material. Alternatively, the at least one strap 2318 is madeof a non-elastic material. In other embodiments, the at least one strap2318 includes hook-and-loop tape. A first spring 174 a of a first lead(not shown) extends out of the pouch 110 through a lead opening 120. Asecond spring 174 b surrounds wiring that is electrically connected to aconnector portion 170 b. The connector 170 b is electrically connectedto a mating connector 2320 that is attached to a battery cable 2322,which connects to the power distribution and data hub 2100.

In a preferred embodiment, the power distribution and data hub 2100 isheld in place by at least one strap 2324. The at least one strap 2324 ispreferably made of an elastic material. Alternatively, the at least onestrap 2324 is made of a non-elastic material. In other embodiments, theat least one strap 2324 includes hook-and-loop tape.

The power distribution and data hub 2100 is connected to an end userdevice 2102 (e.g., tablet, smartphone, computer) via an end user devicecable 2326. The end user device cable 2326 extends out of the pouch 110through an end user device cable opening 2328.

The power distribution and data hub 2100 is connected to the first radio2112 via a first radio cable 2332. The first radio 2112 is held in placeby at least one strap 2330. The at least one strap 2330 is preferablymade of an elastic material. Alternatively, the at least one strap 2330is made of a non-elastic material. In other embodiments, the at leastone strap 2330 includes hook-and-loop tape. In one embodiment, the firstradio 2112 has an antenna 2334 that extends out of the pouch 110 througha first radio antenna opening 2336 in the second side gusset 2304. Thepower distribution and data hub 2100 is connected to the second radio2114 via a second radio cable 2340. The second radio 2114 is held inplace by at least one strap 2338. The at least one strap 2338 ispreferably made of an elastic material. Alternatively, the at least onestrap 2338 is made of a non-elastic material. In other embodiments, theat least one strap 2338 includes hook-and-loop tape. The second radio2114 has an antenna 2342 that extends out of the pouch 110 through asecond radio antenna opening 2344 in the second side gusset 2304.

Although FIG. 27 illustrates the power distribution and data hub 2100 inan orientation above the battery 150, it is equally possible for thebattery 150 to be in an orientation above the power distribution anddata hub 2100. In one embodiment, the orientation of the powerdistribution and data hub 2100 relative to the battery 150 is selectedby the user based on multiple factors, including accessibility toequipment and weight distribution.

FIG. 28 is a detail view of the interior perspective view of the exampleof the portable battery pack shown in FIG. 27. The power distributionand data hub 2100 is operable to provide power to a first peripheraldevice 2104, a second peripheral device 2106, a third peripheral device2108, and a fourth peripheral device 2110 through a personal areanetwork (PAN). The power distribution and data hub 2100 is connected tothe first peripheral device 2104 via a first peripheral device cable2346. The first peripheral device cable 2346 extends out of the pouch110 through a first peripheral device cable opening 2348 in the secondside gusset 2304. Alternatively, the first peripheral device cable 2346extends out of the pouch 110 through an opening in the second side 114of the pouch 110. The power distribution and data hub 2100 is connectedto the second peripheral device 2106 via a second peripheral devicecable 2354. The second peripheral device cable 2354 extends out of thepouch 110 through a second peripheral device cable opening 2356 in thesecond side 114 of the pouch 110. Alternatively, the second peripheraldevice cable 2354 extends out of the pouch 110 through an opening in thesecond side gusset 2304. The power distribution and data hub 2100 isconnected to the third peripheral device 2108 via a third peripheraldevice cable 2350. The third peripheral device cable 2350 extends out ofthe pouch 110 through a third peripheral device cable opening 2352 inthe second side gusset 2304. Alternatively, the third peripheral devicecable 2350 extends out of the pouch 110 through an opening in the secondside 114 of the pouch 110. The power distribution and data hub 2100 isconnected to the fourth peripheral device 2110 via a fourth peripheraldevice cable 2358. The fourth peripheral device cable 2358 extends outof the pouch 110 through a fourth peripheral device cable opening 2360in the second side 114 of the pouch 110. Alternatively, the fourthperipheral device cable 2358 extends out of the pouch 110 through anopening in the second side gusset 2304. In other embodiments, at leastone of the first peripheral device 2104, the second peripheral device2106, the third peripheral device 2108, and/or the fourth peripheraldevice 2110 is stored in the pouch 110.

The power distribution and data hub 2100 is operable to obtain powerfrom an auxiliary power source 2116. The power distribution and data hub2100 is connected to the auxiliary power source 2116 via an auxiliarypower source cable 2364. The auxiliary power source cable 2364 extendsout of the pouch 110 through an auxiliary power source cable opening2364 in the second side gusset 2304. Alternatively, the auxiliary powersource cable 2364 extends out of the pouch 110 through an opening in thesecond side 114 of the pouch 110. In another embodiment, the auxiliarypower source 2116 (e.g., a non-rechargeable battery) is stored in thepouch 110.

In one embodiment, the auxiliary power source 2116 is an alternatingcurrent (AC) adapter, a solar panel, a generator, a portable power case,a fuel cell, a vehicle battery, a rechargeable battery, and/or anon-rechargeable battery. Alternatively, the auxiliary power source 2116is an inductive charger. In another embodiment, the auxiliary powersource 2116 is operable to supply power to the power distribution anddata hub 2100 by harvesting ambient radiofrequency (RF) waves, capturingexothermic body reactions (e.g., heat, sweat), using friction (e.g.,triboelectric effect) or kinetic energy, or harvesting energy fromrunning water or wind energy. In yet another embodiment, the auxiliarypower source 2116 is a pedal power generator. The auxiliary power source2116 is preferably operable to recharge the battery 150.

FIG. 29A illustrates an interior perspective view of an example of theportable battery pack that includes an object retention system in thewearable pouch or skin. The pouch 110 has an interior of a first side2301 and an interior of a second side 2302. In a preferred embodiment,the interior of the first side 2301 and/or the interior of the secondside 2302 contains an object retention system (e.g., GRID-IT® by CocoonInnovations) as described in U.S. Publication Nos. 20090039122,20130214119, and 20130256498, each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

The object retention system is formed of a weave of a plurality ofrubberized elastic bands. The plurality of rubberized elastic bands ispreferably formed of a first set of straps 2902 and a second set ofstraps 2904. The first set of straps 2902 is preferably orientedsubstantially perpendicular to the second set of straps 2904.Additionally, each strap in the first set of straps 2902 is preferablyoriented substantially parallel to other straps in the first set ofstraps 2902. Further, each strap in the second set of straps 2904 ispreferably oriented substantially parallel to other straps in the secondset of straps 2904. In the example shown in FIG. 29A, the first set ofstraps 2902 is shown in a substantially vertical direction and thesecond set of straps 2904 is shown in a substantially horizontaldirection.

In the example shown in FIG. 29A, the interior of the first side 2301has an object retention system. The object retention system is shownholding a state of charge indicator 2906. An example of a state ofcharge indicator 2906 is disclosed in U.S. Publication Nos. 20170269162and 20150198670, each of which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety. The object retention system is also shown holding auniversal DC power adaptor 2908. An example of a universal DC poweradaptor 2908 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,240,651, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The object retentionsystem is shown holding a first half of an AC adapter 2910 and a secondhalf of an AC adapter 2912.

The interior of the second side 2302 holds a battery 150. A first wiringportion 172 a of a first lead (not shown) extends out of the pouch 110through a first lead opening 120 a. A second wiring portion 172 b of asecond lead 152 b extends out of the pouch 110 through a second leadopening 120 b. A first spring 174 a is provided around the first wiringportion 172 a, such that a portion of the first spring 174 a is insidethe battery cover and a portion of the first spring 174 a is outside thebattery cover. The presence of the first spring 174 a around the firstwiring portion 172 a of the first lead (not shown) allows the first leadto be flexed in any direction for convenient connection to equipmentfrom any angle. The presence of the first spring 174 a around the firstwiring portion 172 a of the first lead also allows the first lead to beflexed repeatedly without breaking or failing. A second spring 174 b isprovided around the second wiring portion 172 b, such that a portion ofthe second spring 174 b is inside the battery cover and a portion of thesecond spring 174 b is outside the battery cover. The presence of thesecond spring 174 b around the second wiring portion 172 b of the secondlead 152 b allows the second lead 152 b to be flexed in any directionfor convenient connection to equipment from any angle. The presence ofthe second spring 174 b around the second wiring portion 172 b of thesecond lead 152 b also allows the second lead 152 b to be flexedrepeatedly without breaking or failing. In one example, the first spring174 a and/or the second spring 174 b is a steel spring that is fromabout 0.25 inches to about 1.5 inches long.

FIG. 29B illustrates an interior perspective view of another example ofthe portable battery pack that includes an object retention system inthe wearable pouch or skin. In the example shown in FIG. 29B, theinterior of the second side 2302 holds a battery 150 and a powerdistribution and data hub 2200. In a preferred embodiment, the battery150 is held in place by a battery pocket 2950. The battery pocket 2950is formed of polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-coated polyester,vinyl-coated polyester, nylon, canvas, PVC-coated canvas, polycottoncanvas, and/or a mesh fabric. In one embodiment, the battery pocket 2950closes using a piece of elastic 2952. In another embodiment, the batterypocket 2950 includes at least one layer of a material for dissipatingheat. Alternatively, the battery pocket 2950 closes using a zipper, ahook and loop system, one or more buttons, one or more snaps, one ormore ties, one or more buckles, one or more clips, and/or one or morehooks. A first spring 174 a of a first lead (not shown) extends out ofthe battery pocket 2950 through a first battery pocket opening 2954. Afirst wiring portion 172 a of the first lead extends out of the pouch110 through a first lead opening 120 a. A second spring 174 b of asecond lead extends out of the battery pocket 2950 through a secondbattery pocket opening 2956. The second spring 174 b surrounds wiringthat is electrically connected to a connector portion 170 b. Theconnector 170 b is electrically connected to a mating connector 2320that is attached to a battery cable 2322, which connects to the powerdistribution and data hub 2200.

In a preferred embodiment, the power distribution and data hub 2200 isheld in place by at least one strap 2324. The at least one strap 2324 ispreferably made of an elastic material. Alternatively, the at least onestrap 2324 is made of a non-elastic material. In other embodiments, theat least one strap 2324 includes hook-and-loop tape. In anotherembodiment, the power distribution and data hub 2200 is held in place bya hub pocket. The hub pocket is formed of polyester, polyvinyl chloride(PVC)-coated polyester, vinyl-coated polyester, nylon, canvas,PVC-coated canvas, polycotton canvas, and/or a mesh fabric. In oneembodiment, the hub pocket closes using a piece of elastic. In anotherembodiment, the hub pocket includes at least one layer of a material fordissipating heat.

The power distribution and data hub 2200 is connected to an end userdevice 2102 (e.g., tablet, smartphone, computer) via an end user devicecable 2326. The end user device cable 2326 extends out of the pouch 110through an end user device cable opening 2328.

The power distribution and data hub 2200 is connected to a firstperipheral device via a first peripheral device cable 2346. The firstperipheral device cable 2346 extends out of the pouch 110 through afirst peripheral device cable opening 2348. Alternatively, the firstperipheral device cable 2346 extends out of the pouch 110 through anopening in the second side 114 of the pouch 110. In the example shown inFIG. 29B, the first peripheral device is a first radio (not shown). Thefirst radio is connected to a first antenna relocator 2962. The firstantenna relocator 2962 extends out of the pouch 110 through a firstantenna relocator opening 2964 in the second side 114 of the pouch 110.The first antenna relocator 2962 is connected to the first radio via afirst antenna relocator cable 2966 that extends out of the pouch 110through a first antenna relocator cable opening 2968.

The power distribution and data hub 2200 is connected to the secondperipheral device 2106 via a second peripheral device cable 2354. In theexample shown in FIG. 29B, the second peripheral device 2106 is a GPSdevice (e.g., GPS puck). The second peripheral device 2106 is held inplace by a GPS device pocket 2970. The GPS device pocket 2970 is formedof polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-coated polyester, vinyl-coatedpolyester, nylon, canvas, PVC-coated canvas, polycotton canvas, and/or amesh fabric. In one embodiment, the GPS device pocket 2970 closes usinga piece of elastic 2972. Alternatively, the GPS device pocket 2970closes using a zipper, a hook and loop system, one or more buttons, oneor more snaps, one or more ties, one or more buckles, one or more clips,and/or one or more hooks. In another embodiment, the GPS device pocket2970 includes at least one layer of a material for dissipating heat.

The power distribution and data hub 2200 is connected to the thirdperipheral device 2108 via a third peripheral device cable 2350. Thethird peripheral device cable 2350 extends out of the pouch 110 througha third peripheral device cable opening 2352 in the second side gusset2304. Alternatively, the third peripheral device cable 2350 extends outof the pouch 110 through an opening in the second side 114 of the pouch110.

The power distribution and data hub 2200 is connected to the fourthperipheral device 2110 via a fourth peripheral device cable 2358. Thefourth peripheral device cable 2358 extends out of the pouch 110 througha fourth peripheral device cable opening 2360. Alternatively, the fourthperipheral device cable 2358 extends out of the pouch 110 through anopening in the second side 114 of the pouch 110. In the example shown inFIG. 29B, the fourth peripheral device 2110 is a second radio. Thesecond radio is connected to a second antenna relocator 2974. The secondantenna relocator 2974 extends out of the pouch 110 through a secondantenna relocator opening 2976 in the second side 114 of the pouch 110.The second antenna relocator 2974 is connected to the second radio via asecond antenna relocator cable 2978 that extends out of the pouch 110through a second antenna relocator cable opening 2980.

FIG. 30 is an exploded view of an example of a battery and a powerdistribution and data hub housed in the same enclosure 3000. Theenclosure 3000 includes a battery element 164 and a power distributionand data hub 3002 that is housed between a cover 3054 and a back plate3062. The battery element 164 supplies the first lead 152 a and thesecond lead 152 b. The battery element 164 is formed of a plurality ofsealed battery cells or individually contained battery cells, i.e.batteries with their own cases, removably disposed therein.

The power distribution and data hub 3002 is connected to the batteryelement 164 via a cable 3070. The power distribution and data hub 3002includes at least one connector 3072. The at least one connector 3072 ispanel mounted or an omnidirectional flexible lead (e.g., FIG. 16). Inone embodiment, the at least one connector 3072 includes a dust cap (notshown) to cover a corresponding lead. Advantageously, the dust capprotects the at least one connector from dust and other environmentalcontaminants that may cause battery failure in the field.

The cover 3054 includes a battery compartment 3056 that is sized toreceive at least one battery element 164. The cover 3054 includes a hubcompartment 3064 that is sized to receive the power distribution anddata hub 3002. In a preferred embodiment, the battery compartment 3056is substantially rectangular in shape. In one embodiment, the hubcompartment 3064 is substantially rectangular in shape. The batterycompartment 3056 is connected to the hub compartment 3064 via a channel3066 sized to receive the cable 3070. A top hat style rim 3058 isprovided around a perimeter of the battery compartment 3056 and the hubcompartment 3064. The cover 3054 incudes at least one channel formed inthe cover 3054 to accommodate a wire of a corresponding lead. Theexample in FIG. 30 shows two channels 3060 (e.g., channels 3060 a, 3060b) formed in the cover 3054 (one on each side) to accommodate the wiresof the first lead 152 a and the second lead 152 b passing therethrough.The cover 3054 includes at least one channel formed in the cover 3054 toaccommodate the at least one connector 3072.

The cover 3054 and the back plate 3062 are formed of plastic using, forexample, a thermoform process or an injection molding. The back plate3062 can be mechanically attached to the rim 3058 of the cover 3054 via,for example, an ultrasonic spot welding process or an adhesive.Advantageously, the top hat style rim 3058 provides a footprint for theultrasonic spot welding process and provides structural integrity forthe battery and the power distribution and data hub housed in the sameenclosure. In one embodiment, a water barrier material (e.g., silicone)is applied to the mating surfaces of the rim 3058 and the back plate3062. In another embodiment, the cover 3054, the back plate 3062, thepower distribution and data hub 3002, and/or the battery element 164 hasa slight curvature or contour for conforming to, for example, the user'svest, backpack, or body armor. In one example, the curvature of theportable battery pack is engineered to match the outward curve of bodyarmor. Advantageously, this means that the portable battery pack doesnot jostle as the operator moves, which results in less caloric energyexpenditure when the operator moves. Alternatively, the cover 3054, theback plate 3062, the power distribution and data hub 3002, and/or thebattery element 164 can have a slight outward curvature or contour forconforming to a user's body (e.g., back region, chest region, abdominalregion, arm, leg). In yet another embodiment, the cover 3054, the backplate 3062, the power distribution and data hub 3002, and/or the batteryelement 164 can have a slight outward curvature or contour forconforming to a user's helmet or hat.

FIG. 31 illustrates an interior perspective view of an example of theportable battery pack that includes a battery and a power distributionand data hub housed in the same enclosure 3000. The first side 112 ofthe pouch 110 has an interior of the first side 2301. The second side114 of the pouch 110 has an interior of the second side 2302. The firstside 112 has a first side gusset 2303 and the second side 114 has asecond side gusset 2304. The first side gusset 2303 and the second sidegusset 2304 are attached at a top position of a fabric stop 2306 and abottom position of the fabric stop 2306. A zipper 2308 with a zipperpull 2310 is attached to the first side gusset 2303 and the second sidegusset 2304. Advantageously, this configuration allows the pouch 110 tolie flat when opened.

In the example shown in FIG. 31, the interior of the first side 2301 hasan object retention system. The object retention system is shown holdinga state of charge indicator 2906. An example of a state of chargeindicator 2906 is disclosed in U.S. Publication Nos. 20170269162 and20150198670, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. The object retention system is also shown holding a universalDC power adaptor 2908. An example of a universal DC power adaptor 2908is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,240,651, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. The object retention system is shown holdinga first half of an AC adapter 2910 and a second half of an AC adapter2912.

The interior of the second side 2302 holds a battery and a powerdistribution and data hub housed in the same enclosure 3000. In apreferred embodiment, the battery and the power distribution and datahub housed in the same enclosure 3000 is held in place by at least onestrap 3102. The at least one strap 3102 is preferably made of an elasticmaterial. Alternatively, the at least one strap 3102 is made of anon-elastic material. In other embodiments, the at least one strap 3102includes hook-and-loop tape.

A first wiring portion 172 a of a first lead (not shown) extends out ofthe pouch 110 through a first lead opening 120 a. A second wiringportion 172 b of a second lead 152 b extends out of the pouch 110through a second lead opening 120 b. A first spring 174 a is providedaround the first wiring portion 172 a, such that a portion of the firstspring 174 a is inside the battery cover and a portion of the firstspring 174 a is outside the battery cover. The presence of the firstspring 174 a around the first wiring portion 172 a of the first lead(not shown) allows the first lead to be flexed in any direction forconvenient connection to equipment from any angle. The presence of thefirst spring 174 a around the first wiring portion 172 a of the firstlead also allows the first lead to be flexed repeatedly without breakingor failing. A second spring 174 b is provided around the second wiringportion 172 b, such that a portion of the second spring 174 b is insidethe battery cover and a portion of the second spring 174 b is outsidethe battery cover. The presence of the second spring 174 b around thesecond wiring portion 172 b of the second lead 152 b allows the secondlead 152 b to be flexed in any direction for convenient connection toequipment from any angle. The presence of the second spring 174 b aroundthe second wiring portion 172 b of the second lead 152 b also allows thesecond lead 152 b to be flexed repeatedly without breaking or failing.In one example, the first spring 174 a and/or the second spring 174 b isa steel spring that is from about 0.25 inches to about 1.5 inches long.

FIG. 32 is a detail view of the interior perspective view of the exampleof the portable battery pack shown in FIG. 31. As previously mentioned,the cover of the battery and the power distribution and data hub housedin the same enclosure 3000 includes a channel 3066 sized to receive acable to connect the battery element and the power distribution and datahub. The power distribution and data hub of the battery and the powerdistribution and data hub housed in the same enclosure 3000 is connectedto an end user device 2102 (e.g., tablet, smartphone, computer) via anend user device cable 2326 connected to a second panel mount connector3218. The end user device cable 2326 extends out of the pouch 110through an end user device cable opening 2328.

The power distribution and data hub of the battery and the powerdistribution and data hub housed in the same enclosure 3000 is operableto provide power to a first peripheral device 2104, a second peripheraldevice 2106, a third peripheral device 2108, and a fourth peripheraldevice 2110 through a personal area network (PAN). In the example shownin FIG. 32, the first peripheral device 2104 is a first radio. The firstperipheral device 2104 is held in place by at least one strap 3202. Theat least one strap 3202 is preferably made of an elastic material.Alternatively, the at least one strap 3202 is made of a non-elasticmaterial. In other embodiments, the at least one strap 3202 includeshook-and-loop tape. In one embodiment, the first peripheral device 2104has an antenna 3204 that extends out of the pouch 110 through a firstantenna opening 3206 in the second side gusset 2304. The powerdistribution and data hub is connected to the first peripheral device2104 via a first peripheral device cable 3208 with a connector 3210 thatmates to a first flexible omnidirectional lead 3212 of the powerdistribution and data hub. The first flexible omnidirectional lead 3212of the power distribution and data hub extends out of the cover of thebattery and the power distribution and data hub housed in the sameenclosure 3000 via a first channel 3214 in the cover.

A first spring 3215 is provided around the wiring portion of the firstflexible omnidirectional lead 3212, such that a portion of the firstspring 3215 is inside the cover of the battery and the powerdistribution and data hub housed in the same enclosure 3000 and aportion of the first spring 3215 is outside the cover of the battery andthe power distribution and data hub housed in the same enclosure 3000.In one example, the first spring 3215 is a steel spring that is fromabout 0.25 inches to about 1.5 inches long. In another example, thefirst spring 3215 is a steel spring that is from about 0.25 inches toabout 8 inches long. The wiring portion of the first flexibleomnidirectional lead 3212 and the first spring 3215 are held securely inthe first channel 3214 via a clamping mechanism. Alternatively, thewiring portion of the lead and the spring are held securely in the firstchannel using an adhesive, a retention pin, a hex nut, a hook anchor,and/or a zip tie. The presence of the first spring 3215 around thewiring portion of the first flexible omnidirectional lead 3212 allowsthe first flexible omnidirectional lead 3212 to be flexed in anydirection for convenient connection to equipment from any angle. Thepresence of the first spring 3215 around the wiring portion of the firstflexible omnidirectional lead 3212 also allows the first flexibleomnidirectional lead 3212 to be flexed repeatedly without breaking orfailing.

The power distribution and data hub is connected to the secondperipheral device 2106 via a second peripheral device cable 2354connected to a first panel mount connector 3216. The second peripheraldevice cable 2354 extends out of the pouch 110 through a secondperipheral device cable opening 2356 in the second side gusset 2304.Alternatively, the second peripheral device cable 2354 extends out ofthe pouch 110 through an opening in the second side 114 of the pouch110. The power distribution and data hub is connected to the thirdperipheral device 2108 via a third peripheral device cable 2350connected to a third panel mount connector 3220. The third peripheraldevice cable 2350 extends out of the pouch 110 through a thirdperipheral device cable opening 2352 in the second side gusset 2304.Alternatively, the third peripheral device cable 2350 extends out of thepouch 110 through an opening in the second side 114 of the pouch 110.

In the example shown in FIG. 32, the fourth peripheral device 2110 is asecond radio. The first peripheral device 2104 is held in place by atleast one strap 3222. The at least one strap 3222 is preferably made ofan elastic material. Alternatively, the at least one strap 3222 is madeof a non-elastic material. In other embodiments, the at least one strap3222 includes hook-and-loop tape. In one embodiment, the fourthperipheral device 2110 has an antenna 3224 that extends out of the pouch110 through a second antenna opening 3226 in the second side gusset2304. The power distribution and data hub is connected to the fourthperipheral device 2110 via a fourth peripheral device cable 3228 with aconnector 3230 that mates to a second flexible omnidirectional lead 3232of the power distribution and data hub. The second flexibleomnidirectional lead 3232 of the power distribution and data hub extendsout of the cover of the battery and the power distribution and data hubhoused in the same enclosure 3000 via a second channel 3234 in thecover.

A second spring 3235 is provided around the wiring portion of the secondflexible omnidirectional lead 3232, such that a portion of the secondspring 3235 is inside the cover of the battery and the powerdistribution and data hub housed in the same enclosure 3000 and aportion of the second spring 3235 is outside the cover of the batteryand the power distribution and data hub housed in the same enclosure3000. In one example, the second spring 3235 is a steel spring that isfrom about 0.25 inches to about 1.5 inches long. In another example, thesecond spring 3235 is a steel spring that is from about 0.25 inches toabout 8 inches long. The wiring portion of the second flexibleomnidirectional lead 3232 and the second spring 3235 are held securelyin the second channel 3234 via a clamping mechanism. Alternatively, thewiring portion of the lead and the spring are held securely in the firstchannel using an adhesive, a retention pin, a hex nut, a hook anchor,and/or a zip tie. The presence of the second spring 3235 around thewiring portion of the second flexible omnidirectional lead 3232 allowsthe second flexible omnidirectional lead 3232 to be flexed in anydirection for convenient connection to equipment from any angle. Thepresence of the second spring 3235 around the wiring portion of thesecond flexible omnidirectional lead 3232 also allows the secondflexible omnidirectional lead 3232 to be flexed repeatedly withoutbreaking or failing.

As previously described, the power distribution and data hub includes atleast one flexible omnidirectional lead in one embodiment. The flexibleomnidirectional lead of the power distribution and data hub ispreferably formed using a spring that is about 0.25 inches to about 8inches long. In one embodiment, the spring of the power distribution anddata hub extends out of the pouch through an opening in the second sidegusset. In one embodiment, the opening includes a grommet. In anotherembodiment, the pouch has a seal around an opening for a correspondinglead of the power distribution and data hub. The seal is tight aroundthe lead, which prevents water from entering the pouch through theopening. In one embodiment, the seal is formed of a rubber (e.g.,neoprene).

In one embodiment, the power distribution and data hub includes at leastone processor and at least one memory. Advantageously, this allows thepower distribution and data hub to run software. In one embodiment, theend user device is a screen (e.g., touch screen). An additionaladvantage of running software off of the power distribution and data hubis that if the screen breaks, a user can leave the screen behind withouta risk of confidential information being exposed. In another embodiment,the power distribution and data hub includes at least one data port.Advantageously, this allows the power distribution and data hub toreceive information from another computing device (e.g., laptop, desktopcomputer).

In another embodiment, the power distribution and data hub includes atleast one layer of a material to dissipate heat. In one embodiment, theat least one layer of a material to dissipate heat is housed within thepower distribution and data hub. In one embodiment, at least one layerof a material to dissipate heat is housed within the power distributionand data hub on an external facing side. Advantageously, this protectsthe power distribution and data hub from external heat sources (e.g., ahot vehicle). In another embodiment, at least one layer of a material todissipate heat is housed within the power distribution and data hub on aside of the power distribution and data hub facing the wearer.Advantageously, this protects the wearer from heat given off by thepower distribution and data hub.

In yet another embodiment, the at least one layer of a material todissipate heat is between the cover and the power distribution and datahub of the battery and the power distribution and data hub housed in thesame enclosure. Advantageously, this protects the power distribution anddata hub from external heat sources (e.g., a hot vehicle). In anotherembodiment, the at least one layer of a material to dissipate heat isbetween the back plate and the power distribution and data hub of thebattery and the power distribution and data hub housed in the sameenclosure. Advantageously, this protects the wearer from heat given offby the power distribution and data hub.

In one embodiment, the battery management system of the battery of theportable battery pack is housed in the power distribution and data hub.Advantageously, this separates heat generated by the battery managementsystem from the plurality of electrochemical cells. In this embodiment,the power distribution and data hub preferably includes at least onelayer of a material to dissipate heat. This embodiment may also provideadditional benefits for distributing weight within the pouch.

In another embodiment, the power distribution and data hub includes amaterial to provide resistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/orother projectiles. In one embodiment, the material to provide resistantto bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/or other projectiles is incorporatedinto a housing of the power distribution and data hub. In an alternativeembodiment, the material to provide resistance to bullets, knives,shrapnel, and/or other projectiles is housed within the powerdistribution and data hub on an external facing side. Advantageously,this layer protects the electronics housed in the power distribution anddata hub as well as the user. Additionally or alternatively, thematerial to provide resistance to bullets, knives, shrapnel, and/orother projectiles is housed within the power distribution and data hubon a side of the power distribution and data hub facing the wearer.Advantageously, this layer provides additional protection to the user.In another embodiment, the material to provide resistance to bullets,knives, shrapnel, and/or other projectiles is incorporated into thecover and/or back plate of the battery and the power distribution anddata hub housed in the same enclosure.

FIG. 33 illustrates a side perspective view of another example of aportable battery pack 100 affixed to a vest 600 using zippers. In theexample shown in FIG. 33, the pouch of the portable battery pack 100 issized to hold the battery and additional devices or components. A firstsingle width of zipper tape 190 a is shown mated with a correspondingfirst single width of zipper tape 194 a on a right side of the vest 600using a first zipper slider 192 a, thereby attaching the portablebattery pack 100 to the vest 600. Similarly, a second single width ofzipper tape (not shown) is mated with a corresponding second singlewidth of zipper tape (not shown) on a left side of the vest 600 using asecond zipper slider (not shown).

Solar Panel

FIGS. 34-35 illustrate an example of a solar panel 3100. The solar panel3100 is a multilayer structure that includes at least one solar module3102 mounted on a substrate, wherein the substrate with the at least onesolar module 3102 is sandwiched between two layers of fabric. In oneembodiment, openings, e.g., windows, are formed in at least one of thetwo layers of fabric for exposing the at least one solar module 3102. Ina preferred embodiment, the two layers of fabric are waterproof or waterresistant. The outer two layers of fabric can be any color or pattern.In the example shown in FIG. 34 and FIG. 35, the outer two layers offabric have a camouflage pattern thereon. Representative camouflagesinclude, but are not limited to, Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP),also known as ACUPAT or ARPAT or Army Combat Uniform; MULTICAM®, alsoknown as Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern (OCP); UniversalCamouflage Pattern-Delta (UCP-Delta); Airman Battle Uniform (ABU); NavyWorking Uniform (NWU), including variants, such as, blue-grey, desert(Type II), and woodland (Type III); MARPAT, also known as Marine CorpsCombat Utility Uniform, including woodland, desert, and winter/snowvariants; Disruptive Overwhite Snow Digital Camouflage, Urban DigitalCamouflage, and Tactical Assault Camouflage (TACAM).

A hem 3104 is provided around a perimeter of the solar panel 3100 in oneembodiment. The output of any arrangement of the at least solar module3102 in the solar panel 3100 is a direct current (DC) voltage.Accordingly, the solar panel 3100 includes at least one output connector3106 (e.g., male FISCHER® 105 A087 connectors, TAJIMI™ Electronics partnumber R04-P5m, FISCHER® LP360) that is wired to the arrangement of theat least one solar module 3102. The at least one output connector 3106is used for connecting any type of DC load to the solar panel 3100. Inone example, the solar panel 3100 is used for supplying power to adevice, such as a DC-powered radio. In another example, the solar panel3100 is used for charging a battery. In yet another example, the solarpanel 3100 is used for charging the battery of a portable battery pack.

FIG. 36 illustrates an exploded view of one example of the solar panel3100, wherein the solar panel 3100 comprises a multilayer structure.Namely, the solar panel 3100 includes a solar panel assembly 3108 thatis sandwiched between a first fabric layer 3110 and a second fabriclayer 3112. The solar panel assembly 3108 of the solar panel 3100includes the at least one solar module 3102 mounted on a substrate 3114.Materials for forming the at least one solar module 3102 include, butare not limited to, amorphous silicon, an anti-reflection coating,cadmium telluride (CdTe), a carbon fullerene, copper indium gallium(di)selenide (CIGS), copper phthalocyanine, copper zinc tin sulfide(CZTS), copper zinc tin selenide (CZTSe), copper zinc tinsulfide/selenide (CZTSSe), dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), fullerenederivatives (e.g., phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)), galliumarsenide (GaAs), gallium indium phosphide (GaInP), germanium, graphene,Gratzel cells, kesterite, lanthanide-doped materials (e.g., Er³⁺, Yb³⁺,Ho³⁺), monocrystalline silicon, multicrystalline silicon, multijunctionsolar cells, organic solar cells, perovskite solar cells,polycrystalline silicon on glass, polymer solar cells, polyphenylenevinylene, quantum dot solar cells, silicon nitride, thin film solarcells, and/or titanium dioxide. In a preferred embodiment, the at leastone solar module and/or the solar cells have camouflage, an image (e.g.,logo), text, and/or other patterns printed on or embedded within the atleast one solar module and/or the solar cells. Although there is someloss of overall efficiency (e.g., 22% to 20%) when the at least onesolar module and/or the solar cells include camouflage in this manner,this loss in efficiency is acceptable to users who need to stay hidden(e.g., military). In another embodiment, the solar panel includes atleast one blocking diode and/or at least one bypass diode.

The size of the at least one solar module 3102 can be, for example, fromabout 1 inch to about 48 inches on a side. In one example, the at leastone solar module 3102 is about 3 inches by about 6 inches. In anotherexample, the at least one solar module 3102 is about 4 inches by about 8inches.

In a preferred embodiment, the first fabric layer 3110, the solar panelassembly 3108, and the second fabric layer 3112 are intimately adheredtogether using a hook-and-loop system and/or stitching. In oneembodiment, stitching passes through all of the layers of the solarpanel 3100 (i.e., through the first fabric layer 3110, the substrate3114, and the second fabric layer 3112). In another embodiment, ahook-and-loop system is used to secure an edge of the first fabric layer3110 around a corresponding edge of the at least one solar module 3102.In one embodiment, the substrate 3114 is secured to the second fabriclayer 3112 using a hook-and-loop system and/or stitching. In yet anotherembodiment, the first fabric layer 3110, the solar panel assembly 3108,and the second fabric layer 3112 are intimately adhered together usingan adhesive, a glue, or an epoxy. Advantageously, this increases thewater resistance of the solar panel.

The first fabric layer 3110 and the second fabric layer 3112 can beformed of any flexible, durable, and waterproof or water-resistantmaterial, such as but not limited to, polyester, PVC-coated polyester,vinyl-coated polyester, nylon, canvas, PVC-coated canvas, and polycottoncanvas. The first fabric layer 3110 and the second fabric layer 3112 canbe any color or pattern, such as the camouflage pattern shown in FIG.36. Additionally, the first fabric layer 3110 and the second fabriclayer 3112 can be the same color or pattern or can be different colorsor patterns.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one window or opening 3116 isprovided in the first fabric layer 3110 for exposing a face of the atleast one solar module 3102. The size and position of the at least onewindow or opening 3116 in the first fabric layer 3110 substantiallycorrespond to the size and position of the at least one solar module3102 on the substrate 3114.

The substrate 3114 is preferably formed of a material that islightweight, flexible (i.e., foldable or rollable), and waterproof orwater resistant. In one embodiment, the substrate 3114 is formed ofpolyethylene, for example, a flashspun high-density polyethylene such asDupont™ TYVEK® material. A flashspun high-density polyethylene substrateis flexible, such that it can be folded and stowed for storage, and tearresistant. The solar modules 3102 can be mounted on the substrate 3114using, for example, an adhesive, hook and loop tape, or rivets. When thesolar panel 3100 is assembled, the solar panel assembly 3108 issubstantially hidden from view between the first fabric layer 3110 andthe second fabric layer 3112, except for the face of the at least onesolar module 3102 showing through the at least one window or opening3116.

Wherein flashspun high-density polyethylene is conventionally used as avapor barrier material in weatherization systems in buildings, oneaspect of the presently disclosed solar panel 3100 is the use offlashspun high-density polyethylene material as a substrate forelectronics in a flexible panel. A pattern of wiring traces 3118 forelectrically connecting any configuration of the at least one solarmodule 3102 is easily printed on the flashspun high-density polyethylenesubstrate using, for example, electrically conductive ink, while at thesame time the flashspun high-density polyethylene substrate is flexiblesuch that it can be folded and provides a layer of water barrier toprotect the at least one solar module 3102.

One end of a cable or wire 3120 is electrically connected to the wiringtraces 3118, while the at least one output connector 3106 is on anopposite end of the cable or wire 3120. The at least one outputconnector 3106 can be any type or style of connector needed to mate tothe equipment to be used with the solar panel 3100. The solar panelassembly 3108 is not limited to one connector or to one type or style ofconnector. Examples of connectors used with the solar panel assembly3108 include circular connectors, barrel connectors, Molex connectors,IEC connectors, fiber optic connectors, rectangular connectors, RFconnectors, power connectors (e.g., NEMA sockets and/or plugs), USB,micro USB, mini USB, HDMI, firewire, and lightning. Additionally, aplurality of connectors (of the same type or different types) can beconnected to the cable or wire 3120. In this way, the solar panel 3100can be used to supply multiple devices at the same time, albeit themultiple devices must have substantially the same power requirements.For example, by providing a plurality of connectors, the solar panel3100 can be used to charge multiple batteries at the same time or topower multiple pieces of equipment at the same time.

In one embodiment, a solar converter is placed on the at least oneoutput cable to step up or step down the voltage of the solar panel.Advantageously, this allows the solar panel to charge batteries ofdifferent voltages. In a preferred embodiment, a battery includes anintegrated battery management system that allows the battery to becharged by the solar panel without the use of a solar converter.Advantageously, this reduces the weight and complexity of the system foran end user.

In other embodiments, instead of printing the wiring traces on thesubstrate, a discrete flexible wiring harness (not shown) is providedfor electrically connecting the at least one solar module and the atleast one output connector. When the solar panel is assembled, thewiring harness is substantially hidden from view between the firstfabric layer and the second fabric layer, except for the at least oneoutput connector extending outward from one edge.

The solar panel 3100 is modular and configurable to provide any outputvoltage. While FIGS. 34-36 show six solar modules 3102 in the solarpanel 3100, this is exemplary only. The solar panel 3100 can include anynumber of solar modules 3102 configured in series, configured inparallel, or configured in any combination of series and parallelarrangements. In particular, the configuration of the at least one solarmodule 3102 in the solar panel 3100 can be tailored in any way toprovide a certain output voltage and current. More details of the solarpanel 3100 are shown and described herein below with reference to FIGS.37-39. Additionally, example configurations of the at least one solarmodule 3102 are shown and described herein below with reference to FIGS.40-43.

In one embodiment, at least two solar modules of solar module arechanged from working in parallel to working in series via a voltagesensing circuit. Alternatively, the at least two solar modules are wiredto a connector that includes separate pins for parallel and seriesoutput. In one example, parallel output is wired to pins 1-2 of a 7-pinconnector and series output is wired to pins 6-7 of the 7-pin connector.Advantageously, this allows the voltage output of the solar panel to beselected sequentially based on usage requirements and eliminates the useof a convertor or conditioner box when deployed with batteries with asuitable battery management system (BMS).

In a preferred embodiment, the substrate of the solar panel is printable(e.g., DUPONT™ TYVEK®), allowing manufacturing assembly instructionsand/or any other markings to be printed thereon for assisting theassembly of the solar modules on the substrate. For example, FIG. 37illustrates a plan view of the substrate 3114 of the solar panel 3100.In this example, FIG. 37 shows wiring traces 3118 printed on thesubstrate 3114 using, for example, electrically conductive ink. FIG. 37also shows a set of alignment features 3122 that mark the corners ofeach of the at least one solar module 3102. Additionally, each positionof the at least one solar module 3102 may have certain text 3124 printedthereon, such as PNL #1, PNL #2, PNL #3, PNL #4, PNL #5, and PNL #6, andpolarity indicators (+ and −). Further, step-by-step assemblyinstructions 3126 can be printed in any available space on the substrate3114. The alignment features 3122, the text 3124, and the manufacturingassembly instructions 3126 can be printed using standard permanent ink.Standard printing processes can be used for both the electricallyconductive ink and the permanent ink.

FIG. 38A and FIG. 38B illustrate side views of a portion of the solarpanel assembly 3108, showing two example methods of electricallyconnecting a solar module 3102 to the substrate 3114. In one example,FIG. 38A shows an output pad 3128 of a solar module 3102 in closeproximity to a wiring trace 3118 on the substrate 3114. A conductor3130, such as a flexible conductor, is used to electrically connect theoutput pad 3128 of the solar module 3102 to the wiring trace 3118. Forexample, a first end of the conductor 3130 is soldered to the output pad3128 of the solar module 3102 and a second end of the conductor 3130opposite of the first end of the conductor 3130 is soldered to thewiring trace 3118. In this example, to replace the solar module 3102,the conductor 3130 is desoldered and removed, the solar module 3102 isremoved from the substrate 3114, a replacement solar module is mountedon the substrate 3114, and the conductor 3130 is soldered to the outputpad 3128 of the replacement solar module and the wiring trace 3118.

In another example, FIG. 38B shows a connector 3132 installed along thelength of the conductor 3130. In this example, to replace the solarmodule 3102, the connector 3132 is disconnected, the solar module 3102is removed from the substrate 3114, a replacement solar module ismounted on the substrate 3114, and the connector 3132 is reconnected.

Advantageously, the connector method simplifies field repair of thesolar panel.

FIG. 39 illustrates a portion of the solar panel 3100 showing ahook-and-loop system for securing at least one edge of the first fabriclayer 3110 around at least one edge of the at least one solar module3102. By way of example, FIG. 39 shows one window or opening 3116 in thefirst fabric layer 3110 and one solar module 3102 of the solar panelassembly 3108. An arrangement of hook strips 3150 is provided on thefirst fabric layer 3110 around the edges of the window or opening 3116and an opposing arrangement of loop strips 3152 is provided on thesubstrate 3114 around the edges of solar module 3102. In anotherembodiment, the loop strips 3152 are on the first fabric layer 3110 andthe hook strips 3150 are on the substrate 3114. The hook strips 3150 andthe loop strips 3152 are, for example, components of a VELCRO®hook-and-loop fastening system.

In yet another embodiment, instead of using a hook-and-loop fasteningsystem, stitching is provided around the windows or openings 3116,wherein the stitching passes through all of the layers of the solarpanel 3100 (i.e., through the first fabric layer 3110, the substrate3114, and the second fabric layer 3112). In this example, however, itmust be ensured that the stitching not interfere with any wiring traceson the substrate 3114.

FIGS. 40-43 show schematic views of examples of configuring the at leastone solar module 3102 in the solar panel 3100. Again, FIGS. 40-43 showsix solar modules 3102, but this is exemplary only. The solar panel 3100can include any number of solar modules 3102.

Namely, FIG. 40, FIG. 41, FIG. 42, and FIG. 43 show a firstconfiguration 3700, a second configuration 3800, a third configuration3900, and a fourth configuration 4000, respectively, wherein each of theconfigurations includes six solar modules 3102. Namely, theconfigurations 3700, 3800, 3900, and 4000 each include the solar modules3102 a, 3102 b, 3102 c, 3102 d, 3102 e, and 3102 f. Additionally, eachof the solar modules 3102 a, 3102 b, 3102 c, 3102 d, 3102 e, and 3102 fprovides substantially the same output voltage (V_(SM)).

In the first configuration 3700, the solar modules 3102 a, 3102 b, 3102c, 3102 d, 3102 e, and 3102 f are connected in parallel. Therefore,using the first configuration 3700, the output voltage (V_(OUT)) of thesolar panel 3100 is V_(SM)×1. In one example, if V_(SM)=3 volts, thenV_(OUT) of the solar panel 3100=3 volts.

In the second configuration 3800, the solar modules 3102 a, 3102 b, 3102c, 3102 d, 3102 e, and 3102 f are connected in series. Therefore, usingthe second configuration 3800, the output voltage (V_(OUT)) of the solarpanel 3100 is V_(SM)×6. In one example, if V_(SM)=3 volts, then V_(OUT)of the solar panel 3100=18 volts.

In the third configuration 3900, the solar modules 3102 a and 3102 b areconnected in series, the solar modules 3102 c and 3102 d are connectedin series, and the solar modules 3102 e and 3102 f are connected inseries. Therefore, each series-connected pair of solar modules 3102provides an output voltage of V_(SM)×2. Then, the three series-connectedpairs of solar modules 3102 are connected in parallel with each other.Namely, the series-connected pair of solar modules 3102 a and 3102 b,the series-connected pair of solar modules 3102 c and 3102 d, and theseries-connected pair of solar modules 3102 e and 3102 f are connectedin parallel with each other. Therefore, using the third configuration3900, the output voltage (V_(OUT)) of the solar panel 3100 is V_(SM)×2.In one example, if V_(SM)=3 volts, then V_(OUT) of the solar panel3100=6 volts.

In the fourth configuration 4000, the solar modules 3102 a, 3102 c, and3102 e are connected in series and the solar modules 3102 b, 3102 d, and3102 f are connected in series. Therefore, each series-connectedarrangement of solar modules 3102 provides an output voltage ofV_(SM)×3. Then, the two series-connected arrangements of solar modules3102 are connected in parallel with each other. Namely, theseries-connected arrangement of solar modules 3102 a, 3102 c, and 3102 eand the series-connected arrangement of solar modules 3102 b, 3102 d,and 3102 f are connected in parallel with each other. Therefore, usingthe fourth configuration 4000, the output voltage (V_(OUT)) of the solarpanel 3100 is V_(SM)×3. In one example, if V_(SM)=3 volts, then V_(OUT)of the solar panel 3100=9 volts.

In the event of failure of one or more solar modules 3102 in the solarpanel 3100, one skilled in the art will recognize that parallelarrangements of the solar modules 3102 provide certain advantages overseries arrangements of the solar modules 3102. For example, if one ormore solar modules 3102 fail in the first configuration 3700 of FIG. 40,the output voltage (V_(OUT)) of the solar panel 3100 is not changed,albeit the current capacity is reduced. By contrast, if one solar module3102 fails in the second configuration 3800 of FIG. 41, the outputvoltage (V_(OUT)) of the solar panel 3100 is reduced by an amount equalto the V_(SM) of the failing solar module. This unplanned lower voltageis disadvantageous when attempting to charge a battery to full capacity.

In one embodiment, at least one bypass diode is installed across atleast one solar cell. The at least one bypass diode provides a currentpath around shaded cells to prevent the shaded cells from overheating orburning out. In one example, a solar module contains 36 solar cells andtwo bypass diodes.

In one embodiment, the solar panel is configured to provide more thanone output voltage. In one embodiment, a multiplicity of solar modulesin the solar panel is connected in parallel and/or series to provide asingle output. In one embodiment, the single output of the solar panelis connected to a single-input multiple-output DC-DC converter, whichthen connects to multiple connectors providing multiple output voltages.U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,239 titled “Power converter with plural regulatedoutputs” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,771,052 titled “Programmable multipleoutput DC-DC isolated power supply” are both incorporated herein byreference in their entirety. In one embodiment, the single output ofsolar panel is connected to a dual-output DC-DC converter, whichprovides dual outputs via two connectors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,426 titled“Dual output DC-DC converter with independently controllable outputvoltages” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,153 titled “Dual-output DC-DC powersupply” are both incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In one embodiment, the DC-DC converter is connected to a connector withat least four pins at a first end of a cable. A second end of the cableincludes a first output voltage connector and a second output voltageconnector. The cable includes at least four cores (e.g., 4-core cable,6-core cable, etc.). In one embodiment, a first set of two pins isconnected to a first output connector via a first set of two wires and asecond set of two pins is connected to a second output connector via asecond set of two wires.

In a preferred embodiment, the multiple pin connector is a 7-pinconnector (e.g., FISCHER S104 A054). In yet another embodiment, the7-pin connector is connected to a 4-core cable. In another embodiment, afirst wire and a second wire of the 4-core cable are connected to afirst pin and a second pin (e.g., Pin 1 and Pin 2), respectively, and athird wire and a fourth wire of the 4-core cable are connected to athird pin and a fourth pin (e.g., Pin 5 and Pin 6), respectively.Advantageously, this allows the output cable to provide two outputvoltages.

In an alternative embodiment, the solar panel includes a voltage sensingswitch that allows sequential charging. In one embodiment, the solarpanel includes a default voltage. For example, if both the first outputconnector and the second output connector are connected, the solar paneldefaults to the second output connector.

Preferably, the diameter and/or shape of the connector is different fordifferent output voltages. In a preferred embodiment, a first outputvoltage connector has a higher output voltage (e.g., 29.4V) and largerdiameter, while a second output voltage connector has a lower inputvoltage (e.g., 16.8V) and smaller diameter. This coordination of highervoltage with larger diameter and lower voltage with smaller diametermakes it intuitive for an operator to use the correct voltage outputjack for the correct power consuming device (e.g., rechargeablebattery). Advantageously, this coordination allows an operator toassociate the correct voltage output connector with the correct batteryor battery pack in the dark. This coordination also means that a soldierdoes not have to push buttons to program a device to change the solarpanel voltage. Thus, the voltage output connector is the inherentvoltage selector. Further, the operator can use the solar panel withoutlooking at the device to obtain the voltage selection, therebymaintaining situational awareness and eyes on combat.

The solar panel preferably includes at least two solar modules. In apreferred embodiment, the at least two solar modules are connected via afirst electrical harness in a first combination in parallel and/orseries to provide a first output voltage and connected via a secondelectrical harness in a second combination of parallel and/or series toprovide a second output voltage. The second output voltage (e.g.,17V±5%) is different than the first output voltage (e.g., 30V±5%). Inone embodiment, the solar panel includes a cable with at least fourcores (e.g., 4-core cable, 6-core cable, etc.). A first set of two wires(e.g., wires 1 and 2) of the cable with at least four cores iselectrically connected to the first electrical harness and a second setof two wires (e.g., wires 3 and 4) of the cable with at least four coresis electrically connected to the second electrical harness. For example,the first electrical harness is wired similar to FIG. 41 and the secondelectrical harness is wired similar to FIG. 43 using the at least twosolar modules.

In a preferred embodiment, the cable with at least four cores iselectrically connected to an output connector on an opposite end of thefirst electrical harness and the second electrical harness. In anotherpreferred embodiment, the output connector has at least four pins. Inone embodiment, the output connector is a 7-pin connector (e.g., FISCHERS104 A054). In a preferred embodiment, a first wire and a second wire ofthe cable with at least four cores are connected to a first pin and asecond pin (e.g., Pin 1 and Pin 2), respectively, and a third wire and afourth wire of the cable with at least four cores are connected to athird pin and a fourth pin (e.g., Pin 5 and Pin 6), respectively. In analternative embodiment, the output connector is panel mounted (e.g.,FISCHER K104 A054).

The solar panel is operable to be used in a system with at least onepower consuming device. Each of the at least one power consuming deviceincludes a device connector. The output connector is preferably operableto mate to the device connector. The solar panel is operable to providepower to each of the at least one power consuming device when the deviceconnector is electrically connected to the output connector. In oneexample, the at least one power consuming device includes a first powerconsuming device with a first device connector and a second powerconsuming device with a second device connector. The first deviceconnector is preferably different from the second device connector. Inone embodiment, the first device connector and the second deviceconnector are circular connectors. In a preferred embodiment, the firstdevice connector has a larger diameter than the second device connector.A voltage requirement of the first power consuming device is preferablyhigher (e.g., 30V±5%, 34V±5%, 30V±2%, 34V±2%) than the voltagerequirement of the second power consuming device (e.g., 17V±5%, 17V±2%,15V±5%, 15V±2%). Again, this coordination of higher voltage with largerdiameter and lower voltage with smaller diameter makes it intuitive foran operator to use the correct voltage output jack for the correct powerconsuming device (e.g., rechargeable battery).

In one embodiment, the system further includes at least one devicecable. The at least one device cable includes a first end connectoroperable to mate to the output connector of the solar panel and a secondend connector operable to mate to the device connector of one or more ofthe at least one power consuming device. In a preferred embodiment, theat least one device cable includes a first device cable and a seconddevice cable. The second end connector of the first device cable ispreferably different than the second end connector of the second devicecable.

In another embodiment, a system for charging the at least one powerconsuming device includes both a 17V output cable and a 30V outputcable. In yet another embodiment, the device connector is a panelmounted connector or a lead (e.g., flexible omnidirectional lead) thatmates to the output connector of the solar panel and/or a second endconnector of one or more of the at least one device cable.

FIG. 65 illustrates one embodiment of a 17V output cable 6500. The 17Voutput cable 6500 includes a 17V input connector 6510, a 17V outputcable 6520, a 17V device connector 6530, a 17V device connector dust cap6540, and a 17V input connector dust cap 6550. The 17V input connector6510 is operable to mate to the output connector of the solar panel. Inone embodiment, the 17V input connector 6510 is a FISHER S104 A054connector. In another embodiment, the 17V device connector 6530 is aTAJIMI™ Electronics part number R04-P5m. The 17V device connector dustcap 6540 is operable to protect the 17V device connector 6530 fromexternal elements (e.g., dust, water). The a 17V input connector dustcap 6550 is operable to protect the 17V input connector 6510 fromexternal elements (e.g., dust, water). Advantageously, the 17V deviceconnector 6530 is operable to mate to a battery of a portable batterypack. Examples of the portable battery pack are described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 9,780,344, 10,461,289, and 10,531,590, and U.S. Patent PublicationNos. 20180258882, 20190133303, 20190109349, and 20200099023, each ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIG. 66 illustrates one embodiment of a 30V output cable 6600. The 30Voutput cable 6600 includes a 30V input connector 6610, a 30V outputcable 6620, a 30V device connector 6630, a 30V device connector dust cap6640, and a 30V input connector dust cap 6650. The 30V input connector6610 is operable to mate to the output connector of the solar panel. Inone embodiment, the 30V input connector 6610 is a FISHER S104 A054connector. In another embodiment, the 30V device connector 6630 is aFISHER S105 A087. The 30V device connector dust cap 6640 is operable toprotect the 30V device connector 6630 from external elements (e.g.,dust, water). The 30V input connector dust cap 6650 is operable toprotect the 30V input connector 6610 from external elements (e.g., dust,water). Advantageously, the 30V device connector is operable to mate toa battery and/or a portable power case. Examples of the battery and/orthe portable power case are described in U.S. Patent Publication Nos.20170229692, 20180062197, 20180102656, and 20190081493, each of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Advantageously, this allows the output cable with the at least four pinconnector to output two different voltages depending on whether it isconnected to a first cable with the first device connector (e.g., 17V)or a second cable with the second device connector (e.g., 30V). Thisconfiguration with a single output connector also prevents an operatorfrom connecting a first power consuming device (e.g., a 17V rechargeablebattery) and a second power consuming device (e.g., 30V rechargeablebattery) simultaneously.

This configuration with at least two electrical harnesses (e.g., a firstelectrical harness and a second electrical harness) advantageouslyprovides the ability to provide energy to at least two power consumingdevices (e.g., rechargeable batteries) of differing voltages, dependingon conditions and situational priorities. The configuration puts theentire solar panel to work on the chosen output voltage, speeding up thecharging process for a rechargeable battery.

In one embodiment, the output cable is connected to a junction box usinga flexible omnidirectional lead similar to that shown in FIG. 16.Advantageously, this allows the output cable to be flexed in multipledirections without breaking.

The solar panel preferably does not include a solar power managementmodule (e.g., in a conditioner box). Solar power management modulesgenerally include a plurality of protection circuits, including overcharge, over discharge, over heat, over current, and reverse protection.The modules also include mean peak power modulation to make them viableto be connected directly to electronic devices safely. The solar panelis operable to charge a power consuming device. The power consumingdevice is preferably a rechargeable battery. The rechargeable batterypreferably includes a battery management system, which allows for thesolar panel to operate without the solar power management module andwithout any DC-DC conversion. Advantageously, this reduces thecomplexity and weight of the system, eliminates an attachment that couldbe left behind, and increases the overall efficiency of the energystorage system. The solar conditioning box often weighs up to 7 lbs.Soldiers often carry 60-100 lbs. of gear, including equipment (e.g.,radios, solar panels, batteries) in their rucksack or attached to theirvest. Additional weight slows soldiers down and also makes it morelikely that they will suffer injuries to their body (e.g., injuries tothe back, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, and feet). Additional volumealso impedes the movement of the soldiers.

FIGS. 59-64 show schematic views of examples of configuring the at leastone solar module 3102 in the solar panel for providing more than oneoutput. In FIGS. 59-64, one solar panel includes six solar modules 3102as an example, but the solar panel can include any number of solarmodules 3102.

In exemplary configuration 4100 of FIG. 59, the solar modules 3102 a,3102 b, 3102 c, 3102 d, 3102 e, and 3102 f are connected in parallel andthe modules are connected to a single-input multiple-output DC-DCconverter 4101. DC-DC converter 4101 is operable to receive power fromthe solar modules and provide two stable DC outputs at one or morevoltage levels.

In exemplary configuration 4200 of FIG. 60, the solar modules 3102 a,3102 b, 3102 c, 3102 d, 3102 e, and 3102 f are connected in series andthe modules are connected to a single-input multiple-output DC-DCconverter 4201. DC-DC converter 4201 is operable to receive power fromthe solar modules and provide stable DC outputs at one or more voltagelevels.

In another embodiment, the multiplicity of solar modules in the solarpanel is connected in parallel and/or series to provide more than oneoutput. In one embodiment, the multiplicity of solar modules is groupedto more than one isolated group for connection. The grouping is based onthe output voltage and/or current requirements. In one embodiment, asingle-input single-output DC-DC converter is connected to each groupfor voltage and/or current regulation. Each DC-DC converter output isconnected to a connector to supply power to at least one chargingdevice. In one embodiment, the more than one solar module groups areconnected to a multiple-input multiple-output DC-DC converter. Eachoutput of the multiple-input multiple-output DC-DC converter isconnected to a connector.

In exemplary configuration 4300 of FIG. 61, the solar modules 3102 a,3102 b, and 3102 d are connected in series to provide a first DC output,and solar modules 3102 c, 3102 e, and 3102 f are connected in parallelto provide a second DC output. This example serves to illustrate thatthe solar modules of a solar panel are configurable in variouscombinations of series and/or parallel with various numbers of outputs.In one embodiment, the two outputs of the solar panel are then eachconnected to a DC-DC converter for voltage/current regulation andstabilization.

In exemplary configuration 4400 of FIG. 62, the solar modules 3102 a,3102 b, and 3102 c are connected in series to provide a first DC output,and solar modules 3102 d, 3102 e, 3102 f are connected in series toprovide a second DC output. In one embodiment, the outputs of the solarpanel are then connected to a two-input two-output DC-DC converter 4401for voltage/current regulation and stabilization.

In one embodiment, the solar modules are interconnected and theinterconnections are switchable to form serial or parallel arrangements,or different groups. In one embodiment, the solar module groups arereconfigurable. For example, but not for limitation, the solar modulegroups are reconfigured when certain solar modules do not work properly.Also, for example, but not for limitation, the solar module groups arereconfigured when one connector has much higher power demand from acorresponding solar module group. A threshold for reconfiguration isbased on voltage, current, and/or power level. Amicroprocessor-controlled switch unit operates the reconfiguration ofthe electrical connections among the multiplicity of solar modules. Theselective reconfiguration of the solar modules optimizes the powerproduction of the solar panel and provides voltage/current stability atthe connectors. In one embodiment, the outputs of themicroprocessor-controlled switch unit are then connected to amultiple-input multiple-output DC-DC converter for voltage/currentregulation and stabilization.

In exemplary configuration 4500 of FIG. 63, the solar modules 3102 a,3102 b, 3102 c, 3102 d, 3102 e, and 3102 f are connected to a switch4501. The switch 4501 is controlled by a microprocessor to reconfigureconnections between the solar modules and provide at least one voltageoutput at equal or different voltage levels. In FIG. 63, the switchprovides two voltage outputs at different voltage levels. In oneembodiment, each of the two outputs is connected to a DC-DC converterfor voltage regulation and stabilization.

In exemplary configuration 4600 of FIG. 64, the solar modules 3102 a,3102 b, 3102 c, 3102 d, 3102 e, and 3102 f are connected to a switch4601. The switch 4601 is microprocessor-controlled and operable toreconfigure connections between the solar modules in the solar panel toprovide at least one voltage output. In FIG. 64, the switch provides twovoltage outputs at different levels, which are then connected to atwo-input two-output DC-DC converter for voltage/current regulation andstabilization.

In a preferred embodiment, the solar panel is MOLLE-compatible. In oneembodiment, the solar panel incorporates a pouch attachment laddersystem (PALS), which is a grid of webbing used to attach smallerequipment onto load-bearing platforms, such as vests and backpacks. Forexample, the PALS grid consists of horizontal rows of 1-inch (2.5 cm)webbing, spaced about one inch apart, and attached to the backing at1.5-inch (3.8 cm) intervals. In one embodiment, the webbing is formed ofnylon (e.g., cordura nylon webbing, MIL-W-43668 Type III nylon webbing).Accordingly, a set of straps 3160 (e.g., four straps 3160) are providedon one edge of the solar panel 3100 as shown in FIGS. 44-45.Additionally, rows of slots or slits 3162 (e.g., eleven rows of slots orslits 3162) are provided on the back side of the solar panel 3100, asshown in FIG. 45. In a preferred embodiment, the set of straps 3160 andthe rows of slots or slits 3162 attach to the MOLLE underneath the solarpanel 3100 on the load bearing equipment (e.g., vest, backpack,rucksack, body armor).

FIG. 46 illustrates a side perspective view of an example of a solarpanel 3100 affixed to a portable battery pack 100. The solar panel 3100has at least one output connector 3106 electrically connected to the atleast one solar module 3102 (e.g., four solar modules 3102) via a cableor wire 3120. A connector portion 170 of the battery of the portablebattery pack 100 is shown mated to the at least one output connector3106 of the solar panel 3100. In the example shown in FIG. 46, the pouchof the portable battery pack 100 is sized to hold a battery andadditional devices or components (e.g., signal marker panel, state ofcharge indicator, AC adapter, power distribution and data hub, GPS, meshnetwork devices, situational awareness devices, radios). The portablebattery pack 100 is affixed to a vest 600 using zippers and/or MOLLE. Afirst single width of zipper tape 190 a is shown mated with acorresponding first single width of zipper tape 194 a on a right side ofthe vest 600 using a first zipper slider 192 a, thereby attaching theportable battery pack 100 to the vest 600. Similarly, a second singlewidth of zipper tape (not shown) is mated with a corresponding secondsingle width of zipper tape (not shown) on a left side of the vest 600using a second zipper slider (not shown). Alternatively, an exteriorsurface of the pouch of the portable battery pack includes the solarpanel.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least one solar module is formed ofmicrosystem enabled photovoltaic (MEPV) material, such as that disclosedin U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,736,108, 9,029,681, 9,093,586, 9,143,053, 9,141,413,9,496,448, 9,508,881, 9,531,322, 9,548,411, and 9,559,219 and U.S.Publication Nos. 20150114444 and 20150114451, each of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In another preferred embodiment, the at least one solar module is formedof SUNPOWER™ MAXEON™ Gen III solar cells. In one embodiment, the solarcells are formed of monocrystalline silicon. The solar cells preferablyhave an antireflection coating. The solar cells have a tin-coated,copper metal grid backing. SUNPOWER™ MAXEON™ Gen III solar cells aredescribed in an article entitled “Generation III High Efficiency LowerCost Technology: Transition to full scale Manufacturing” by authorsSmith, et al., published in Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC),2012 38^(th) IEEE, doi: 10.11009/PVSC.2012.6317899, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one embodiment, twosolar modules have an output of 7 W and 15-17V.

FIG. 47 illustrates another example of a solar module 3102 used with thesolar panel. The solar module 3102 includes a layer of ethylenetetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) 4402, a first layer of ethylene-vinyl acetate(EVA) 4404, a layer containing at least one solar cell 4406, a secondlayer of EVA 4408, and a layer of fiberglass 4410. In a preferredembodiment, the at least one solar module is less than about 0.04 inchesthick. In a preferred embodiment, the at least one solar module weighsless than about 1 oz. In one embodiment, the at least one solar modulehas dimensions of about 4 inches by about 8 inches. The at least onesolar module is preferably flexible. In one embodiment, the at least onesolar module produces about 1 W of power. In one embodiment, the atleast one solar module produces a voltage of about 6 V. In oneembodiment, the at least one solar module produces a current of about160 mA. Advantageously, the at least one solar module is operable toextend the life/run time of a rechargeable battery using this lowercurrent (e.g., about 160 mA) in a constant-voltage phase while thebattery is over 85% charged and the battery is in its state of highestinternal resistance.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the solar panel is made of glassfree, flexible thin film solar modules. The solar modules are formed ofamorphous silicon with triple junction cell architecture. Alternatively,the solar modules are formed of multicrystalline silicon. These solarmodules continue to deliver power when damaged or perforated.Additionally, these panels provide higher production and a higher outputin overcast conditions than comparable glass panels. These panels alsoprovide better performance at a non-ideal angle of incidence.

FIG. 48 illustrates a solar panel 3100 made with glass free, thin filmsolar modules. The solar panel 3100 includes at least one solar module3102 mounted on a substrate 3114. While FIG. 48 shows eighteen solarmodules 3102 in the solar panel 3100, this is exemplary only. The solarpanel 3100 can include any number of solar modules 3102 configured inseries, configured in parallel, or configured in any combination ofseries and parallel arrangements. In particular, the configuration ofsolar modules 3102 in the solar panel 3100 can be tailored in any way toprovide a certain output voltage and current. The output of anyarrangement of solar modules 3102 in the solar panel 3100 is a directcurrent (DC) voltage. Accordingly, the solar panel 3100 includes atleast one output connector 3106 that is electrically connected to thearrangement of solar modules 3102 via a cable or wire 3120. The at leastone output connector 3106 is used for connecting any type of DC load tothe solar panel 3100. In one embodiment, the cable or wire 3120 of theat least one output connector 3106 includes a blocking diode to preventpower from running back into the solar panel 3100. In a preferredembodiment, the at least one output connector 3106 is a circularconnector (e.g., male FISCHER® 105 A087 connector, FISCHER® LP360). Inone example, the solar panel is used for supplying power to a device,such as a DC-powered radio. In another example, the solar panel is usedfor charging a battery. In yet another example, the solar panel is usedfor charging the battery of a portable battery pack.

In one embodiment, the at least one connector includes one or moreconnectors that allow a first solar panel to connect to a second solarpanel in series or in parallel. This allows a plurality of solar panels3100 to be connected together in series, in parallel, or any combinationof series and parallel arrangements. Advantageously, connecting aplurality of panels together allows the output current and/or outputvoltage to be raised or lowered.

The solar panel 3100 is preferably foldable. Prior art solar panels thatare rollable require a tube to roll the solar panel. The solar panel3100 of the present invention does not require a tube, which provides aweight and volume savings advantage over prior art. The weight anddimensions of the solar panel is important because it must be easilytransported by a human. Soldiers often carry 60-100 lbs. of gear,including equipment (e.g., radios, solar panels, batteries) in theirrucksack or attached to their vest. Additional weight slows soldiersdown and also makes it more likely that they will suffer injuries totheir body (e.g., injuries to the back, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles,and feet). Additional volume also impedes the movement of the soldiers.Further, foldable solar panels generally have a higher solar efficiencydue to a firmer substrate and are more suited to last in the field.

The solar panel 3100 includes clips (female clip 3170 shown) to securethe solar panel 3100 when not in use in one embodiment. The female clip3170 is attached to the solar panel 3100 via top webbing 3172. The solarpanel 3100 includes eyelets 3174, which allows the solar panel to besecured to the ground or another surface. While FIG. 48 shows a total offour eyelets 3174 (one in each corner), this is exemplary only. Thesolar panel 3100 can include any number of eyelets 3174. The solar panel3100 has a vertical fold axis 3176, a top horizontal fold axis 3178, anda plurality of horizontal fold axes 3180.

In one embodiment, the solar panel 3100 includes eighteen solar modules3102 as shown in FIG. 48. In one embodiment, the solar modules areformed of amorphous silicon. The maximum power is about 118 W in oneembodiment. The voltage at maximum power is about 28.8V in oneembodiment. The current at maximum power is about 4.1 A in oneembodiment. The dimensions of the solar panel 3100 are about 8 feet byabout 3 feet when deployed in one embodiment. The weight of the solarpanel 3100 is preferably less than about 10 pounds. The solar panel 3100weighs about 9 pounds in one embodiment. The dimensions of the solarpanel 3100 are about 10 inches by about 15 inches by about 2 inches whenfolded.

In a preferred embodiment, the solar panel includes 6 solar modules. Inone embodiment, the solar modules are formed of multicrystallinesilicon. The maximum power is 102 W in one embodiment. The voltage atmaximum power is about 30.8V in one embodiment. The current at maximumpower is about 3.3 A in one embodiment. The dimensions of the solarpanel are about 3 feet by about 2.5 feet when deployed in oneembodiment. The weight of the solar panel is preferably less than about8 pounds. The solar panel weighs about 6.5 pounds in one embodiment. Thedimensions of the solar panel are about 15 inches by about 12 inches byabout 1 inch when folded.

FIG. 49 shows a front perspective view of the solar panel 3100 whilefolded. The solar panel 3100 includes a handle 3182. The solar panel3100 also includes clips (e.g., female clip 3170, male clip 3184) tosecure the solar panel 3100 when not in use in one embodiment. Thefemale clips 3170 are attached to a front flap 3186 via top webbing3172. The male clips 3184 are attached to bottom webbing 3188. The frontflap 3186 partially covers a back side of the substrate 3114 in oneembodiment. The bottom webbing 3188 is in two pieces that are secured byhook-and-loop tape in one embodiment.

FIG. 50 shows a back perspective view of one embodiment of the solarpanel 3100 while folded. In one embodiment, the integrated pocket 3190is used to store the at least one output connector (not shown) and/or asignal marker panel when not in use. The integrated pocket 3190 has anopening 3192. The opening 3192 of the integrated pocket 3190 ispreferably closed using a hook-and-loop fastener system. Alternatively,the opening 3192 of the integrated pocket 3190 is closed using ties, anarrangement of buttons or snaps, or a zipper.

FIG. 51 illustrates a top perspective view of one embodiment of thesolar panel 3100 while unfolded. The front flap 3186 is connected to thefemale clips 3170 via top webbing 3172. The front flap 3186 is connectedto a top section 3194. The handle 3182 is attached to the top section3194. The top section 3194 is also connected to a back flap 3196. Theback flap 3196 contains the integrated pocket (not shown). In apreferred embodiment, the integrated pocket is on the reverse side ofthe back flap 3196 such that the integrated pocket is not exteriorfacing when the solar panel 3100 is folded. This protects the contentsof the integrated pocket from accidentally spilling out. This alsoprotects the cable or wire electrically connecting the at least oneconnector to the solar modules from getting caught on other gear,vehicle components, etc. The back flap 3196 is also connected to themale clips 3184 via bottom webbing 3188.

FIG. 52 illustrates another portion of a solar panel 3100. The cable orwire 3120 is electrically connected to the at least one solar module(not shown) via a junction box 3198. The at least one output connector(not shown) is secured in the integrated pocket 3190.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 52, the back side of the substrate 3114is shown in a camouflage pattern. Alternatively, the substrate is asolid color (e.g., black, blue, brown, tan, green, white). In apreferred embodiment, the front flap, the top section, and the back flapare made of a canvas or nylon material. The front flap, the top section,and the back flap are formed of a camouflage pattern or a solid color(e.g., black, blue, brown, tan, green, white). Representativecamouflages include, but are not limited to, Universal CamouflagePattern (UCP), also known as ACUPAT or ARPAT or Army Combat Uniform;MULTICAM®, also known as Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern(OCP); Universal Camouflage Pattern-Delta (UCP-Delta); Airman BattleUniform (ABU); Navy Working Uniform (NWU), including variants, such as,blue-grey, desert (Type II), and woodland (Type III); MARPAT, also knownas Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform, including woodland, desert, andwinter/snow variants; Disruptive Overwhite Snow Digital Camouflage,Urban Digital Camouflage, and Tactical Assault Camouflage (TACAM).

In one embodiment, the at least one solar panel includes at least onelayer of a material for dissipating heat. FIG. 53 is an exploded view ofan example of a solar panel 3100 into which a heat-shielding or blockingand/or heat-dissipating layer 1520 is installed. In this example, theheat-dissipating layer 1520 is incorporated into the layers of fabricthat form the solar panel 3100, in similar fashion to the structure 1500of FIG. 17A. Namely, the heat-dissipating layer 1520 is provided at theback of solar modules 3102, between the substrate 3114 and the secondfabric layer 3112. In this example, the first fabric layer 3110, thesubstrate 3114, the heat-dissipating layer 1520, and the second fabriclayer 3112 are held together by stitching and/or by a hook-and-loopfastener system. In this example, the heat-shielding or blocking and/orheat-dissipating layer 1520 protects the user from heat from the back ofthe solar panel 3100, the heat-shielding or blocking and/orheat-dissipating layer 1520 protects the back of the solar panel 3100from any external heat source (not shown), and the heat-dissipatinglayer 1520 reduces the heat profile of the solar panel 3100.

Combination Solar Panel and Signal Marker Panel

Conventional signal marker panels and solar panels typically areprovided separately and used independently of one another. In contrast,the present invention includes a combination signal marker panel andsolar panel. Namely, in the combination signal marker panel and solarpanel, a signal marker panel is detachably secured to a flexible solarpanel. The combination signal marker panel and solar panel islightweight, flexible (i.e., foldable or rollable), and waterproof orwater resistant. As a result, the combination signal marker panel andsolar panel is well-suited for portability and for use in adverseconditions.

An aspect of the combination signal marker panel and solar panel is thatboth the signal marker panel and the solar panel fulfill theirtraditional functions unhindered. The signal marker panel and the solarpanel can be used simultaneously, or the signal marker panel can be usedalone, or the solar panel can be used alone.

Yet another aspect of the combination signal marker panel and solarpanel is that the solar panel is modular and configurable to provide anyoutput voltage. The solar panel can include any number of solar modulesconfigured in series, configured in parallel, or configured in anycombination of series and parallel arrangements.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the signal marker panel canbe positioned to provide secondary protection to the solar panel, andsolar modules thereof, when folded up and stowed.

Another aspect of the combination signal marker panel and solar panel isthat the output voltage of the solar panel is provided in an unregulatedstate. As a result, the complexity of the solar panel is reduced ascompared with conventional solar panels because it does not includevoltage conditioning circuitry at its output.

FIG. 54 and FIG. 55 illustrate front and rear perspective views,respectively, of an example of a combination signal marker panel andsolar panel 4700 that is lightweight, foldable, waterproof or waterresistant, and well-suited for portability. The combination signalmarker panel and solar panel 4700 includes a signal marker panel 4710that is detachably secured to a solar panel 3100.

In one embodiment, the solar panel 3100 of the combination signal markerpanel and solar panel 4700 is a multilayer structure that includes aplurality, e.g., one or more, of solar modules 3102 mounted on asubstrate, wherein the substrate with the plurality of solar modules3102 is sandwiched between two layers of waterproof or water-resistantfabric. In one embodiment, openings, e.g., windows, are formed in atleast one of the two layers of fabric for exposing the solar modules3102. The outer two layers of fabric can be any color or pattern. In theexample shown in FIG. 54 and FIG. 55, the outer two layers of fabrichave a camouflage pattern thereon. One of ordinary skill in the artwould recognize that the two layers of fabric can have any camouflagepattern including, but not limited to, Universal Camouflage Pattern(UCP), also known as ACUPAT or ARPAT or Army Combat Uniform; MULTICAM®,also known as Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern (OCP);Universal Camouflage Pattern-Delta (UCP-Delta); Airman Battle Uniform(ABU); Navy Working Uniform (NWU), including variants, such as,blue-grey, desert (Type II), and woodland (Type III); MARPAT, also knownas Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform, including woodland, desert, andwinter/snow variants; Disruptive Overwhite Snow Digital Camouflage,Urban Digital Camouflage, and Tactical Assault Camouflage (TACAM).

A hem 3104 is provided around the perimeter of the solar panel 3100 inone embodiment. The output of any arrangement of solar modules 3102 inthe solar panel 3100 is a direct current (DC) voltage. Accordingly, thesolar panel 3100 includes at least one output connector 3106 that iswired to the arrangement of solar modules 3102. The at least one outputconnector 3106 is used for connecting any type of DC load to the solarpanel 3100. In one example, the solar panel 3100 is used for supplyingpower to a device, such as a DC-powered radio. In another example, thesolar panel 3100 is used for charging a battery. In yet another example,the solar panel 3100 is used for charging the battery of a portablebattery pack.

In one embodiment, the at least one connector 3106 includes one or moreconnectors that allow a first solar panel to connect to a second solarpanel in series or in parallel. This allows a plurality of solar panels3100 of multiple combination signal marker panel and solar panels 4700to be connected together in series, parallel, or any combination ofseries and parallel arrangements.

The signal marker panel 4710 of the combination signal marker panel andsolar panel 4700 is preferably formed of any flexible, durable, andwaterproof or water-resistant material used in conventional signalmarker panels. For example, the signal marker panel 4710 can be formedof polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-coated polyester, vinyl-coatedpolyester, nylon, canvas, PVC-coated canvas, or polycotton canvas. Thesignal marker panel 4710 can be any color suitable for signaling, suchas, but not limited to, red, orange, yellow, pink, and white. In oneembodiment, the signal marker panel 4710 includes a U.S. CoastGuard-approved distress signal (e.g., a black square and circle) on atop surface and/or a bottom surface of the signal marker panel 4710. Inanother embodiment, the signal marker panel 4710 incorporates reflectivematerial and/or thermal identification material on the top surfaceand/or the bottom surface. A hem 4712 is provided around a perimeter ofthe signal marker panel 4710 in this embodiment of the presentinvention.

In one embodiment, the solar panel and/or the signal marker panelinclude tie straps, loops, eyelets, and/or grommets. The tie straps,loops, eyelets, and/or grommets allow the solar panel and/or the signalmarker panel to attach to different surfaces (e.g., the ground, trees,or a backpack). In one embodiment, tie straps are made of the samematerial as the signal marker panel, nylon, elastic, or parachute cord.The solar panel and/or the signal marker panel are operable to attach tothe ground with stakes through the eyelets, grommets, and/or loops.

The length of the signal marker panel can be about the same or can bedifferent than the width. The footprint of the signal marker panel canbe, for example, square or rectangular. The length and width of thesignal marker panel can be, for example, from about 8 inches to about 48inches. In one example, the signal marker panel is about 36 inches byabout 36 inches.

Similarly, the length of the solar panel can be about the same or can bedifferent than the width. The footprint of the solar panel can be, forexample, square or rectangular. The length and width of the solar panelcan be, for example, from about 8 inches to about 48 inches. In oneexample, the solar panel is about 36 inches by about 36 inches.

The signal marker panel 4710 and the solar panel 3100 can besubstantially the same size or can be different sizes and still bejoined together. For example, FIG. 54, FIG. 55, and FIG. 56A show anexample of the combination signal marker panel and solar panel 4700wherein the signal marker panel 4710 and the solar panel 3100 aresubstantially the same size. FIG. 56B, however, shows an example of thecombination signal marker panel and solar panel 4700 wherein a smallersignal marker panel 4710 is joined to a larger solar panel 4700.Further, FIG. 56C shows an example of the combination signal markerpanel and solar panel 4700 wherein a larger signal marker panel 4710 isjoined to a smaller solar panel 3100.

In one embodiment of the combination signal marker panel and solarpanel, one edge of the signal marker panel is sewed, adhered, orotherwise fastened to one edge of the solar panel in a substantiallypermanent fashion. In another embodiment, however, the signal markerpanel is detachable from the solar panel. For example, one edge of thesignal marker panel is fastened to one edge of the solar panel using azipper, an arrangement of buttons or snaps, ties, and/or a hook-and-loopfastener system.

In a preferred embodiment, the hook-and-loop fastener system is a firststrip including hooks and a second strip including loops. The firststrip and the second strip are adhered, e.g., glued, sewn, or otherwiseattached, to opposing surfaces to be fastened. For example, in someembodiments, the first strip including hooks is attached to the signalmarker panel and the second strip including loops is attached to thesolar panel. In other embodiments, the first strip including hooks isattached to the solar panel and the second strip including loops isattached to the signal marker panel. When the first strip and the secondstrip are pressed together, the hooks catch in the loops and the twostrips reversibly bind or fasten. The two strips can be separated bypulling apart. The hook-and-loop fastener system can be made of anyappropriate material known in the art including, but not limited to,nylon, polyester, TEFLON®, and the like. VELCRO® is an example of ahook-and-loop fabric fastener system.

The signal marker panel is preferably a single layer of lightweightfabric, which reduces the overall weight of the combination signalmarker panel and solar panel. In an alternative embodiment, the signalmarker panel has two layers. One layer can be any color suitable forsignaling, such as, but not limited to, red, orange, yellow, pink, andwhite. The other layer can be a different color or a pattern (e.g.,camouflage).

FIG. 57 illustrates one embodiment of a signal marker panel 4710. Thesignal marker panel 4710 is preferably rectangular or square in shape.In a preferred embodiment, the signal marker panel 4710 is fluorescentorange (or “international orange”) on a first side and cerise on asecond side. In a preferred embodiment, the signal marker panel 4710 isformed of ripstop nylon. In the example shown in FIG. 57, the signalmarker panel 4710 includes tie straps 4712, which allows the signalmarker panel 4710 to attach to different surfaces (e.g., the ground,trees, a backpack). In one embodiment, the tie straps 4712 are made outof the same material as the signal marker panel 4710, nylon, elastic,hook-and-loop tape, or parachute cord. In one embodiment, the signalmarker panel 4710 includes snaps, which allows multiple signal markerpanels 4710 to be connected together. The snaps include sockets 4714(cap shown) and studs 4716.

In a preferred embodiment, the signal marker panel includes a ceriseside and an international orange side. In one embodiment, the signalmarker panel includes grommets on two opposing ends. The signal markerpanel preferably includes at least one piece of hook tape and at leastone piece of loop tape on both sides of the signal marker panel (i.e.,on both the cerise and international orange sides). In an alternativeembodiment, the signal marker panel includes at least one piece of hooktape and at least one piece of loop tape on only one side. The signalmarker panel includes at least one piece of hook tape and/or at leastone piece of loop tape on two opposing ends of at least one side of thesignal marker panel in another embodiment. In one embodiment, the signalmarker panel is about 3 feet wide and about 3 feet long.

FIGS. 58A-58B illustrate another embodiment of a signal marker panel4710. FIG. 58A illustrates a first side 4730 of the signal marker panel4710. In the example shown in FIG. 58A, the first side 4730 is cerise.The signal marker panel 4710 includes grommets 4718 on two opposingends. The first side 4730 includes a first piece of hook tape 4732 and afirst piece of loop tape 4734. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 58A, thefirst piece of hook tape 4732 is shown above the first piece of looptape 4734. In an alternative embodiment, the first piece of hook tape4732 is below the first piece of loop tape 4734.

FIG. 58B illustrates a second side 4740 of the signal marker panel 4710.In the example shown in FIG. 58B, the second side 4740 is internationalorange. The second side 4740 includes a second piece of loop tape 4742and a second piece of hook tape 4744. In the embodiment shown in FIG.58B, the first piece of loop tape 4742 is shown above the first piece ofhook tape 4744. In an alternative embodiment, the first piece of looptape 4742 is below the first piece of hook tape 4744.

Advantageously, the dual hook and loop configuration (i.e., 4 strips ofhook and loop tape with a piece of hook tape and a piece of loop tape oneach side) shown in FIGS. 58A-58B facilitates installation of the signalmarker panel into any pocket that closes with hook and loop tape.Further, the dual hook and loop configuration allows the pocket tomaintain its closing operability. Examples of pockets that close withhook and loop tape include a base of a plate carrier, a long pocket in avest, and the opening of the integrated pocket of the solar panel.

The combination signal marker panel and solar panel can include otherfeatures. In one embodiment, the combination signal marker panel andsolar panel includes an elastic band or strap (not shown) that is usedfor wrapping around the combination signal marker panel and solar panelwhen folded or rolled. Alternatively, the combination signal markerpanel and solar panel includes side release buckles, backpack clips,toggle clips, friction buckles, tongue buckles, quick connect buckles,and/or magnetic closures to secure the combination signal marker paneland solar panel when folded or rolled.

In one example application—a military application, the combinationsignal marker panel and solar panel provides the following advantagesover using separate signal marker panels and solar panels:

1) The combination signal marker panel and solar panel can be used toharvest solar energy while simultaneously marking the user's position tofriendlies in the battle space, both on the ground and in the air.

2) The combination signal marker panel and solar panel has a smallfootprint that allows it to be draped over the user's backpack orrucksack, which allows the solar panel portion to be used while on themove.

3) The small footprint of the combination signal marker panel and solarpanel facilitates stationary charging in tight spaces, and makes theoverall folded or rolled dimension light enough and small enough to becarried by the user instead of the user carrying additional batteries.Advantageously, this allows device use in austere environments overlonger periods of time when resupply is not possible (e.g., due toweather, natural disaster, battle).

The above-mentioned examples are provided to serve the purpose ofclarifying the aspects of the invention, and it will be apparent to oneskilled in the art that they do not serve to limit the scope of theinvention. By way of example, the solar modules may be connected to asingle-input multiple-output DC-DC converter or a multiple-inputmultiple-output DC-DC converter. By nature, this invention is highlyadjustable, customizable and adaptable. The above-mentioned examples arejust some of the many configurations that the mentioned components cantake on. All modifications and improvements have been deleted herein forthe sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within thescope of the present invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for supplying power to at leastone power consuming device comprising: the at least one power consumingdevice, wherein each of the at least one power consuming device includesa device connector; and a solar panel, wherein the solar panel includesat least two solar modules, an output connector with at least four pins,and a cable with at least four cores; wherein the at least two solarmodules are connected via a first electrical harness in a firstcombination of parallel and/or series to provide a first output voltage;wherein the at least two solar modules are connected via a secondelectrical harness in a first combination of parallel and/or series toprovide a second output voltage, wherein the second output voltage isdifferent than the first output voltage; wherein a first wire and asecond wire of the cable are electrically connected to the firstelectrical harness; wherein a third wire and a fourth wire of the cableare electrically connected to the second electrical harness; wherein thefirst wire and the second wire of the cable are electrically connectedto a first pin and a second pin of the output connector, respectively;wherein the third wire and the fourth wire of the cable are electricallyconnected to a third pin and a fourth pin of the output connector,respectively; and wherein the solar panel is operable to provide powerto each of the at least one power consuming device when the deviceconnector is electrically connected to the output connector.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the solar panel includes a pouch attachmentladder system, and wherein the pouch attachment ladder system comprisesa plurality of straps, a plurality of horizontal rows of webbing, aplurality of slits, or combinations thereof.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the at least one power consuming device includes a rechargeablebattery, wherein the rechargeable battery includes a battery cover, andwherein the rechargeable battery is electrically connected to the outputconnector via one or more flexible omnidirectional leads.
 4. The systemof claim 3, wherein the one or more flexible omnidirectional leadsinclude a connection portion and a wiring portion, wherein a flexiblespring is provided around the wiring portion, wherein the wiring portionand the flexible spring are held securely in one or more channels in thebattery cover such that a portion of the flexible spring is positionedinside the battery cover and a portion of the flexible spring ispositioned outside the battery cover.
 5. The system of claim 1, whereinthe at least one power consuming device includes a first power consumingdevice with a first device connector and a second power consuming devicewith a second device connector, and wherein the first device connectoris different from the second device connector.
 6. The system of claim 5,wherein the first device connector and the second device connector arecircular connectors, wherein the first device connector has a largerdiameter than the second device connector, and wherein a voltagerequirement of the first power consuming device is higher than thevoltage requirement of the second power consuming device.
 7. The systemof claim 1, further including at least one device cable, wherein each ofthe at least one device cable includes a first end connector operable tomate to the output connector of the solar panel and a second endconnector operable to mate to the device connector of one or more of theat least one power consuming device.
 8. The system of claim 7, whereinthe at least one device cable includes a first device cable and a seconddevice cable, and wherein the second end connector of the first devicecable is different than the second end connector of the second devicecable.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one powerconsuming device includes at least one rechargeable battery, wherein theat least one rechargeable battery includes a battery management system,and wherein the solar panel does not contain a solar power managementmodule.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the solar panel does notcontain a DC-DC converter.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the solarpanel is foldable.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the solar panel isrollable.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two solarmodules include camouflage printed on or embedded within the at leasttwo solar modules.
 14. A system for supplying power to at least onepower consuming device comprising: the at least one power consumingdevice, wherein each of the at least one power consuming device includesa device connector; and a solar panel, wherein the solar panel includesat least two solar modules, an output connector with at least four pins,and a cable with at least four cores; wherein the at least two solarmodules are connected via a first electrical harness in a firstcombination of parallel and/or series to provide a first output voltage;wherein the at least two solar modules are connected via a secondelectrical harness in a first combination of parallel and/or series toprovide a second output voltage, wherein the second output voltage isdifferent than the first output voltage; wherein a first wire and asecond wire of the cable are electrically connected to the firstelectrical harness; wherein a third wire and a fourth wire of the cableare electrically connected to the second electrical harness; wherein thefirst wire and the second wire of the cable are electrically connectedto a first pin and a second pin of the output connector, respectively;wherein the third wire and the fourth wire of the cable are electricallyconnected to a third pin and a fourth pin of the output connector,respectively; wherein the solar panel incorporates a pouch attachmentladder system operable to attach the solar panel to a load-bearingplatform; and wherein the solar panel is operable to provide power toeach of the at least one power consuming device when the deviceconnector is electrically connected to the output connector.
 15. Thesystem of claim 14, wherein the pouch attachment ladder system comprisesa plurality of straps, a plurality of horizontal rows of webbing, aplurality of slits, or combinations thereof.
 16. The system of claim 14,wherein the load-bearing platform is selected from the group consistingof a vest, a backpack, a helmet, a chair, a seat, a boat, a kayak, andbody armor.
 17. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least two solarmodules include camouflage printed on or embedded within the at leasttwo solar modules.
 18. A system for supplying power to at least onepower consuming device comprising: the at least one power consumingdevice, wherein the at least one power consuming device includes a firstpower consuming device with a first device connector and a second powerconsuming device with a second device connector, and wherein the firstdevice connector is different from the second device connector; and asolar panel, wherein the solar panel includes at least two solarmodules, an output connector with at least four pins, and a cable withat least four cores; wherein the at least two solar modules areconnected via a first electrical harness in a first combination ofparallel and/or series to provide a first output voltage; wherein the atleast two solar modules are connected via a second electrical harness ina first combination of parallel and/or series to provide a second outputvoltage, wherein the second output voltage is different than the firstoutput voltage; wherein a first wire and a second wire of the cable areelectrically connected to the first electrical harness; wherein a thirdwire and a fourth wire of the cable are electrically connected to thesecond electrical harness; wherein the first wire and the second wire ofthe cable are electrically connected to a first pin and a second pin ofthe output connector, respectively; wherein the third wire and thefourth wire of the cable are electrically connected to a third pin and afourth pin of the output connector, respectively; and wherein a voltagerequirement of the first power consuming device is higher than thevoltage requirement of the second power consuming device; and whereinthe solar panel is operable to provide power to each of the at least onepower consuming device when the device connector is electricallyconnected to the output connector.
 19. The system of claim 18, whereinthe first device connector and the second device connector are circularconnectors, and wherein the first device connector has a larger diameterthan the second device connector.
 20. The system of claim 18, whereinthe at least two solar modules include camouflage printed on or embeddedwithin the at least two solar modules.